Foreword |
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xi | |
Introduction |
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xiii | |
Acknowledgments |
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xxv | |
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Part I Law, Chance, and Evolution |
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1 The Evolution of the Universe |
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9 | (8) |
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1.1 From Lemaitre's Prediction to Hubble's Observations |
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10 | (1) |
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1.2 From the Big Bang to Particles |
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11 | (1) |
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1.3 From Thermonuclear Fusion to Neutron Stars |
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11 | (3) |
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1.4 Pulsars, Black Holes, and the Future of the Universe |
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14 | (3) |
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2 The Origin of Life and Its Evolution on Earth |
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17 | (18) |
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2.1 The Anthropic Principle |
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18 | (2) |
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2.2 Nature's Constants and the Conditions for the Existence of Life |
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20 | (3) |
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2.3 The Physical-Climatic Conditions on Earth |
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23 | (1) |
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2.4 The Epochs of Life's Evolution on Earth |
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23 | (4) |
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2.5 Looking for "Sufficient" Conditions |
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27 | (2) |
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2.6 What If Matter Were Engraved with Life? |
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29 | (6) |
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3 The Evolution of the Cognitive Experience |
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35 | (24) |
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37 | (2) |
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3.2 The "Nuclear Conscience" |
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39 | (2) |
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3.3 From Mythos to Logos: The "Extended Conscience" |
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41 | (2) |
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3.4 Two Cerebral Hemispheres, Two Logics |
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43 | (3) |
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3.5 A Mixing of Unpredictable Results in the "Project" of the Living |
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46 | (2) |
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3.6 The Mental Models of Reality: Filters, Ambiguities, Contradictions |
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48 | (11) |
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Part II Within Society between Mythos and Logos |
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4 Human Societies and the Social Models of Reality |
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59 | (20) |
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4.1 The Pathway of Human Societies |
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61 | (5) |
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4.2 Democracy and Migrations |
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66 | (4) |
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4.3 Stereotypes, Prejudices, and the "Common Sense" |
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70 | (3) |
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4.4 Specialization and Fragmentation, Self-Referencing, and Radicalism |
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73 | (6) |
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5 The Conflict between Faith and Science |
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79 | (14) |
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5.1 God's Idea and the Gaps of Knowledge |
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80 | (3) |
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5.2 Monotheisms Face-to-Face |
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83 | (4) |
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5.3 The Opinion of a Theologian |
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87 | (3) |
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5.4 From a Necessary Dialogue to a Possible Super-Religion |
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90 | (3) |
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6 The Search for Equilibrium |
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93 | (14) |
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6.1 Antinomies' Tension and Control |
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94 | (4) |
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6.2 Tolerance as the First Objective |
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98 | (9) |
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Part III Integrative and Final Considerations |
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7 Between Dream and Reality |
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107 | (20) |
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109 | (3) |
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7.2 The Myth of Unity and the Theory of Everything |
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112 | (4) |
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7.3 Constraints Posed by the Flow of Time |
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116 | (4) |
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7.4 Utopias: Consoling Fantasies? |
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120 | (7) |
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8 About the More General Meaning of "Myth" |
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127 | (12) |
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8.1 The Positive Role of Myth along the Development of Sciences |
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128 | (1) |
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8.2 Rationality and Myth in Music, Architecture, and Literature |
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129 | (4) |
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8.3 Myth-Reason in Hermann Hesse and Luigi Pirandello |
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133 | (6) |
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9 Where Is Evolution Bringing Us To? |
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139 | (10) |
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9.1 The Open Society and the Mindful Pluralism |
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140 | (2) |
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9.2 The Future Human Society: A Superorganism or a Babel Tower? |
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142 | (4) |
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9.3 A Possible Future for Human Beings |
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146 | (3) |
Afterword |
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149 | (22) |
Appendix |
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171 | (2) |
Bibliography |
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173 | (10) |
Author Index |
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183 | (2) |
Subject Index |
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185 | |