SCF Recommended Book List

[TheVat]

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-revi ... come-home/

Looks at how digital media affect our reading capacity, our ability to apply critical analytical thinking to what we read, and other psychological aspects of reading off a screen.

[BadgerJelly]

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/maryanne-wolf/reader-come-home/

Looks at how digital media affect our reading capacity, our ability to apply critical analytical thinking to what we read, and other psychological aspects of reading off a screen.

Seems like a very specific subject matter. What points stood out for you? This is something I am very interested in as you probably know.

[amanduh]

God's Debris: A Thought Experiment by Scott Adams. It's more a comic, philosophical little book, but I think it definitely belongs on this list.

[TheVat]

https://www.apnews.com/3e6938bcc26c47ca99cbc054f4177c47

"Seeds of Science: Why We Got it So Wrong on GMOs" by Mark Lynas. Part humorous confessional (the author used to vandalize experimental fields of GMO grains), part history (the history of Monsanto is fascinating), and an educational look at a 180 turnaround on an environmentalist's view of GMOs. One of the most striking figures gleaned from the book was that use of GMO crops has decreased fossil fuel use (mainly through no-till cropping, which idles a lot of tractors) in crop agriculture 37%. Lynas has really looked at the issues from both sides, and he does a good job of presenting them both.

[Forest_Dump]

There is a couple of books I would like to recommend.

Michael J. Benton (2015) "When Life Nearly Died: The Greatest Mass Extinction of All Time." Thames &Hudson.

This is a well illustrated and scholarly account of the history of research into the Permian mass extinctio and I found it both informative and very readable.

Tim Flannery (2001) "The Eternal Frontier: An Ecological History of North America and Its Peoples."

Not as well illustrated but a good account of North America since the end of the Cretaceous and the extinction of the dinosaurs so it includes one ofthe most thorough and readable accounts of post dinosaur palaeontology for North America that I have run across. Lots of great stuff on the evolution of many things from trees and nuts to mammals, snakes and others.

[PaulN]

Probably full of vacuous truisms! JK

I will look for Flannery's book.

[Reg_Prescott]

Probably full of vacuous truisms! JK

Are you talking to ME!!??

[Reg_Prescott]

There is a couple of books I would like to recommend.

Michael J. Benton (2015) "When Life Nearly Died: The Greatest Mass Extinction of All Time." Thames &Hudson.

Whoops, I thought you said Michael Denton.

Anyway, try his "Evolution: A Theory in Crisis"

And his recent sequel "Evolution: Still a Theory in Crisis"

I wonder what the trequel will be called.


Edit P.S.

Oh FFS, Wiki describes him as "a proponent of Intelligent Design".

This always happens.

Pretty sure he's an agnostic who doesn't give a flying lemur about God (same as me).

But hey, these naysayers have to be discredited somehow, eh.

See also David Berlinski, and just about anyone else who tries to say bad things about a pet theory.

[PaulN]

Probably full of vacuous truisms! JK

Are you talking to ME!!??

No, Travis Bickle, but I thought you might appreciate the joke.

[Forest_Dump]

Above I mentoned a good book by Michael Benton and would now recommend another:

Michael J. Benton (2019) "Dinosaurs Rediscovered:The Scientific Revolution in Paleontology." Thames & Hudson.

Another good read, well illustrated and very up-to-date by an authority.