The World's Best Book Summaries
What are conservative values? What are the pillars of conservative beliefs and what do they mean? Conservative values are the beliefs that define what it means to be conservative. These values include believing in big business and being against a “poor me” mentality. Read more about conservative values and what they mean.
What are the causes of amphibian extinction? Which amphibian species have and are becoming extinct? Amphibian extinction has come to the attention of scientists in the late 1980s. According to experts, however, we are not only witnessing the amphibian extinction event, we are also causing it. Keep reading to learn about amphibian extinction, which species are affected, and what is causing it.
How do you define environmental degradation? What does environmental deregulation mean for people? When you define environmental degradation, it’s often to examine how companies and governments harm the environment. This deregulation often causes direct harm to citizens. Read more to find out how you define environmental degradation and more.
What is the cause of megafauna extinction? What role did we—humans—play in the decline of biodiversity in the supersized animal kingdom? The causes of megafauna extinction have puzzled scientists dating back to Cuvier’s day, when the fossils of huge unknown creatures began turning up. Researchers have debated whether megafauna disappeared due to climate change or was killed by humans. But most scientists today lean toward blaming humans. Keep reading to learn about megafauna extinction: which species have gone extinct, and what were the causes.
Who is Walter Alvarez? How did he come to the conclusion that it was an asteroid strike that wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago? Walter Alvarez was an American geologist who is best known for his asteroid strike theory. In the late 1970s, Alvarez discovered a large amount of iridium in the rock layers in the Gola Del Bottaccione gorge and theorized that there was an asteroid strike 65 million years ago. Keep reading to learn about Walter Alvarez’ asteroid strike theory.
What is a racial caste system? How did an arbitrary trait such as the color of skin come to shape the destinies of millions? Racial caste system is a hierarchical social order where skin color is used as a tool to designate people’s rank in society. However, race is an arbitrary characteristic because it was invented as a means to stratify society and justify different standards of living. Keep reading to learn about how the racial caste system was created.
What happened to the great auk? What role did humans play in the disappearance of the giant seabird of the North Atlantic? The extinction of the great auk is attributed to several causes. There was a volcano eruption on one of the breeding islands. However, the major factor is considered to be the mass killings of auks for egg collection in the 1800s. Read more to learn about the factors behind the great auk’s extinction.
What is racial superiority in the context of casteism? How has the belief in the inherent superiority of the white race been used to legitimize racial discrimination? According to Isabel Wilkerson, the author of Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, racial superiority is one of the eight tenets of the caste system. This belief is still at the heart of every interaction between the dominant caste and subordinate caste in America. Read about how the belief in racial superiority is enforced and perpetuated in a caste system.
What is disinvestment in the public sector? Why is this harmful and why do governments do it? Disinvestment in the public sector is a decision by the government to take funds out of public services, while keeping taxes for businesses and the wealthy low. Even though this has consequences for average people, Read more about disinvestment in the public sector and what it means.
What caused neanderthal extinction? Did we—homo-sapiens humans—play a part in killing our species-cousins? According to scientists’ projections, neanderthals disappeared about thirty thousand years ago. Researchers first suggested climate change or disease as theories for their disappearance. More recently, however, other researchers concluded that neanderthal extinction was caused by humans. Read about neanderthal extinction and its causes.