Eureka! 81 Key Ideas Explained

by Michael Macrone

Eureka! 81 Key Ideas Explained (Hardcover) Michael Macrone (Author), Tom Lulevitch (Illustrator)

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Reference, History, Economics

253 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eureka! was a neat book. It features "mini-chapters' of three or four pages that summarize various concepts in philosophy, science, math, physics, psychology and economics. I have been reading a chapter a night for months but finally grew impatient and finished the book in one fell swoop today. I still don't claim to understand the theory of relativity. But it has been enjoyable to think about some things I have not contemplated in a long time, like Zeno's Paradox, the Cretan Liar's Paradox, Occam's Razor, etc. It's good to push yourself in a different direction from time to time.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many ideas and names - a little information on each one. I found the writing style to be informative but entertaining enough to keep me interested. (I sometimes have difficulties with nonfiction, especially when I'm just reading for personal edification.)
One plus - I finally learned what Occam's Razor was, an idea that seemed to pop up too many times in Stranger in a Strange Land. My reading strategy of laziness has once again been validated- I mostly skip over words or concepts I'm unfamiliar with and hope that the text or life will explain them later!

[Liedzeit Liedzeit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nette Idee, kurze Betrachtungen zu Heureka Situationen, bzw. Meme, die die Welt verändert haben. Und interessanterweise Philosophie wie Naturwissenschaft, aber auch Sozialwissenschaft und sogar Architektur: Form follows function. (9/10)

[Sherri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to admit a number of things in this book were way over my head. However most weren't and the author has a real talent for taking complicated ideas and explaining them to the average person.

[Rob Lund · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great primer for big ideas.

[Marty Coleman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bit dated since I have an old edition but for the most part the information is interesting and important.

[Mark Bates · Rating 2 out of 5]

Complex ideas made complex. Very dry.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Galileo : Greek astronomer Aristarchus of Samos (for heliocentric hypothesis)
as Rosa Parks : [Ida Wells?]

ether or quintessenta--made Aristotle A BITCH!


Philo
Scientific method, Hume's Fork, taken for granted today, back then went against conventional ideas about finding truth

p 4 Some materialists--believing that mind is nothing but matter--argue for determinism: scientifically. Since the brain is a physical object, it obeys physical laws; thought and behavior, along with everything else in the universe, follow a determined path. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kan...
"natural processes are mechanical and predictable ontological proof"
http://sqapo.com/kant.htm

Pascal's Wager
http://sqapo.com/pascal.htm

Plato's Cave
http://sqapo.com/plato.htm

Cogito ergo sum
http://sqapo.com/descartes2.htm

An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding
http://sqapo.com/hume.htm
p 32 more meaningful model of reality based on human pyschology, probability, and habitual behavior. Today Hume is a skeptic--another name for a psychologist or statistician.

Critique of Pure Reason
http://sqapo.com/kant.htm

The Metaphysics of Morals
http://sqapo.com/kant2.htm

Leviathan
http://sqapo.com/hobbes.htm

Tabula Rosa (Essay Concerning Human Understanding)
http://sqapo.com/locke.htm

The Social Contract
http://sqapo.com/rousseau.htm

Dialectic
http://sqapo.com/marx.htm

Utilitarianism
http://sqapo.com/bentham.htm

Ubermensch (Overman)
http://sqapo.com/nietzsche.htm

Language: statements & reality
http://sqapo.com/wittgenstein.htm
Are most of the problems with philosophy just problems of language?

Existentialism
http://sqapo.com/sartre.htm


Human Sciences
p 197 "Global Village" - out of touch with the richness of experience communicated at once by all the senses


Vocab
Tautology - In logic, a tautology is a formula that is true in every possible interpretation. (Wittgenstein)

placid - not easily upset/excited

[Robin Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I use this as a lunch read, short (most of the time) explanations of ideas.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of fun for a quick read... each entry is only a couple pages.

[Tyler]

A history of influential ideas.

[Maurean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another interesting one to go back to from time to time, that sits on my 'reference' shelf.

[Jonathan]

None

[Johan Sulaiman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Parkinson's Law is one of the highlights of the book!

[Fabian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Contain a number of interesting factoids which makes it worthy as a reference. Unfortunately, as most of books of this type, lacks depth on the different subjects that are dealt with.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very nice book. Learned a lot. Now, I'll think twice before using phrases, adages and ideas we take for granted.

[Sae-chan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got inspiration of books to buy from this book.

[Mark Fallon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very good primer on major philosophical, mathematical, scientific and economic ideas that shaped Western civilization.

[Jennifer Kunz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had a lot of stuff I didn't know, so was informative :)

[Nour-Eddine Aboudihaj]

A must read for any one who wants to enjoy big ideas from great books.