Arcturus Fundamentals

The unexamined life is not worth living. - Plato (c.427-347BC) This illustrated book traces the historical development of philosophical thought from the Ancient Greeks through the Enlightenment to the present day. It explores the five main branches of philosophy - metaphysics, epistemology, logic, ethics, and aesthetics - and includes biographies of significant philosophers and accounts of important texts. It is an accessible and fascinating account of the preoccupations of some of the world's greatest thinkers. Topics include: • The nature of being and reality • The existence of God • Free will and predestination • Ethics in daily life • How we might make a good society ABOUT THE SERIES: Arcturus Fundamentals Series explains fascinating and far-reaching topics in simple terms. Designed with rustic, tactile covers and filled with dynamic illustrations and fact boxes, these books will help you quickly get to grips with complex topics that affect our day-to-day living.

From Socrates to Carl Jung and Descartes to Daniel Dennett, this illustrated book brings together the threads that have made up psychology, from the musings of the Ancient Greeks to the findings of functional MRI scanning. Explained in a concise and easy-to-understand manner, it explores various key approaches, including structuralist, functionalist, behaviourist, psychodynamic, humanist, cognitive, and biological. It is a narrative of how we have tried to approach the very core of our being - of what makes us ourselves. Topics include: • The ghost in the machine -the search for the mind and how it relates to the body • Models of madness -attempts to categorize and treat mental illness • Artificial intelligence • Mind and matter -how modern neurology sheds new light on the workings of the mind • Psychoanalysis

Physics is the science which ties all others together. Aiming to explain the universe, from the smallest subatomic particles to vast galaxies, it represents human intellectual endeavor at its most ambitious. This illustrated guide traces the development of physics, from the natural philosophers of the ancient world to cutting-edge experiments in quantum mechanics. These complex ideas are expressed in clear and easy-to-understand language, providing a wonderful introduction to the vast subject. Topics include: • The nature of matter - first theorized as atoms 2,500 years ago • Light and optics • Masses and forces • The bizarre subatomic world of quantum mechanics • Our fascination with the stars • The universe around us, from the Big Bang to distant galaxies ABOUT THE SERIES: The Arcturus Fundamentals Series explains fascinating and far-reaching topics in simple terms. Designed with retro, tactile covers and filled with dynamic illustrations and fact boxes, these books will help you quickly get to grips with complex topics that effect our day-to-day living.

In order to understand the universe you must know the language in which it is written. And that language is mathematics. - Galileo (1564-1642) People have always sought order in the apparent chaos of the universe. Mathematics has been our most valuable tool in that search, uncovering the patterns and rules that govern our world and beyond. This book traces humankind's greatest achievements, plotting a journey through the mathematical intellects of the last 4,000 years to where we stand today. It features the giants of mathematics, from Euclid and Pythagoras, through Napier and Newton, to Leibniz, Riemann, Russell, and many more. Topics include: • Counting and measuring from the earliest times • The Ancient Egyptians and geometry • The movements of planets • Measuring and mapping the world • Fuzzy logic and set theory • The death of numbers ABOUT THE SERIES: Arcturus Fundamentals Series explains fascinating and far-reaching topics in simple terms. Designed with rustic, tactile covers and filled with dynamic illustrations and fact boxes, these books will help you quickly get to grips with complex topics that affect our day-to-day living.

An accessible guide to the intriguing and revolutionary science of quantum physics, written by one of NASA's leading astronomers and educators Sten Odenwald. Quantum Physics looks at the world of the very small and the weird and wonderful forces that govern the universe. It breaks down this uncertain, complex world of quantum mechanics into easily accessible language. Featuring everything from wave functions to black-body radiation and the Large Hadron Collider to the pioneering thinkers who reshaped our understanding of science including Niels Bohr and Erwin Schrödinger, this is the perfect introduction for everyone looking to expand their knowledge of modern physics. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Arcturus Fundamentals series explains fascinating and far-reaching topics in simple terms. Designed with rustic, tactile covers and filled with dynamic illustrations and fact boxes, these books will help you quickly get to grips with complex topics from the sciences and humanities.

How we think, feel, move, remember, imagine, and experience the outside world and our own bodies is the domain of neuroscience. For millennia, the workings of the brain and nerves could be approached only through superstition and conjecture. Then, in the 19th century, neuroscience began to cast light on this most complex of our bodily systems. This accessible, illustrated book traces the development of neuroscience, from ancient beliefs to the technologies of the present day. Topics include: • The interaction of mind, soul, and body • Localization of functions within the brain • Workings of the nervous system • The motor system and how we move • The sensory system and how we construct perception • Mental illness, brain damage, and lessons from dysfunction and disease • Mental activity, including learning, memory, identity, and imagination Featuring photographs, diagrams and profiles of key figures, this book provides a wonderful grounding in the study of neuroscience through history. ABOUT THE SERIES: Arcturus Fundamentals Series explains fascinating and far-reaching topics in simple terms. Designed with rustic, tactile covers and filled with dynamic illustrations and fact boxes, these books will help you quickly get to grips with complex topics across the sciences and humanities.