Word: readerly
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...virtual polygraph tests are rooted in the works of Paul Ekman—namely, his book “Telling Lies.” The book is a melange of Ekman’s own work in the field, and do-it-yourself tips to help the reader become a lie-catcher. It begins with a cursory examination of behavioral, facial, and bodily clues about deceit. For instance, when facial or bodily expressions do not match up with a person’s words, it’s highly likely that said person is lying. Ekman also explains the idea...
...works of Plato, Euclid, and Newton, upon which all of modern science and commerce depend, are as much philosophical statements about the structure of the universe as they are mathematical treatises. In “Is God a Mathematician?” Mario Livio attempts to impress upon the reader this fundamental connection between math and philosophy while presenting a “greatest hits” summary of man’s foremost mathematical achievements...
...Livio’s biggest hurdle to overcome with “Is God a Mathematician?” is making over two millennia of high-level mathematical discoveries accessible to the reader who has never studied the more inscrutable and elaborate non-Euclidean geometry or knot theory. And it would seem that if anyone is primed for success in this difficult endeavor, it’s Livio, who is both an astrophysicist and the head of the Office of Public Outreach at the Hubble Space Telescope Institute. But while his approach is appealing to any curious reader, his inability...
...Pythagorean Theorem. But there are an equal number of instances where Livio’s explanations fall short, such as when he discusses knots or how gravity operates in the solar system. In these cases, Livio loses himself in the history of the discoveries and overwhelms the reader with superfluous information and terminology...
...power to explain worldly phenomena. Despite his passion, both Livio’s writing and argument are uneven. At times his prose reads like a history textbook, at others like a review of the latest research in astrophysics. Belying his vigorous attempt to write to the reader, Livio struggles in vain to include sufficient background information necessary for the average reader to match his own remarkable comprehension and unique enthusiasm...