{"title":"David Sepkoski","description":"\u003cp\u003eDelve into the thought-provoking works of David Sepkoski, exploring the intersection of science, history, and culture. Discover insightful analyses of scientific thought and its impact on society. Browse now.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"catastrophic-thinking-book-david-sepkoski-9780226348612","title":"Catastrophic Thinking","description":"We live in an age in which we are repeatedly reminded--by scientists, by the media, by popular culture--of the looming threat of mass extinction. We're told that human activity is currently producing a sixth mass extinction, perhaps of even greater magnitude than the five previous geological catastrophes that drastically altered life in the past. Indeed, there is a very real concern that the human species may itself be poised to go the way of the dinosaurs, victims of the most recent mass extinction some 65 million years ago.    How we interpret the causes, consequences, and moral imperatives of extinction is deeply embedded in the cultural values of any given historical moment. And as David Sepkoski reveals, the history of scientific ideas about extinction over the past two hundred years--as both a past and current process--are implicated in major changes in the way Western society has approached biological and cultural diversity. It seems self-evident to most of us that diverse ecosystems and societies are intrinsically valuable, but the current fascination with diversity is a relatively recent phenomenon. In fact, the way we value diversity depends crucially on our sense that it is precarious--that it is something actively threatened, and that its loss could have profound consequences. In Catastrophic Thinking, Sepkoski uncovers how and why we learned to value diversity as a precious resource at the same time as we learned to think catastrophically about extinction.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49736926265617,"sku":"NGR9780226348612","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50835233079569,"sku":"GOR010954737","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/022634861X.jpg?v=1751424033"},{"product_id":"catastrophic-thinking-book-david-sepkoski-9780226829524","title":"Catastrophic Thinking","description":"A history of scientific ideas about extinction that explains why we learned to value diversity as a precious resource at the same time as we learned to “think catastrophically” about extinction.   We live in an age in which we are repeatedly reminded—by scientists, by the media, by popular culture—of the looming threat of mass extinction. We’re told that human activity is currently producing a sixth mass extinction, perhaps of even greater magnitude than the five previous geological catastrophes that drastically altered life on Earth. Indeed, there is a very real concern that the human species may itself be poised to go the way of the dinosaurs, victims of the most recent mass extinction some 65 million years ago.     How we interpret the causes and consequences of extinction and their ensuing moral imperatives is deeply embedded in the cultural values of any given historical moment. And, as David Sepkoski reveals, the history of scientific ideas about extinction over the past two hundred years—as both a past and a current process—is implicated in major changes in the way Western society has approached biological and cultural diversity. It seems self-evident to most of us that diverse ecosystems and societies are intrinsically valuable, but the current fascination with diversity is a relatively recent phenomenon. In fact, the way we value diversity depends crucially on our sense that it is precarious—that it is something actively threatened, and that its loss could have profound consequences. In Catastrophic Thinking, Sepkoski uncovers how and why we learned to value diversity as a precious resource at the same time as we learned to think catastrophically about extinction.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49747772473617,"sku":"NGR9780226829524","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51000344838417,"sku":"NIN9780226829524","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0226829529.jpg?v=1751430014"},{"product_id":"rereading-the-fossil-record-book-david-sepkoski-9780226272948","title":"Rereading the Fossil Record","description":"Rereading the Fossil Record presents the first-ever historical account of the origin, rise, and importance of paleobiology, from the mid-nineteenth century to the late 1980s. Drawing on a wealth of archival material, David Sepkoski shows how the movement was conceived and promoted by a small but influential group of paleontologists and examines the intellectual, disciplinary, and political dynamics involved in the ascendency of paleobiology. By tracing the role of computer technology, large databases, and quantitative analytical methods in the emergence of paleobiology, this book also offers insight into the growing prominence and centrality of data-driven approaches in recent science.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50111689752849,"sku":"GOR013859688","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51000324620561,"sku":"NIN9780226272948","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/022627294X.jpg?v=1750779547"},{"product_id":"nominalism-and-constructivism-in-seventeenth-century-mathematical-philosophy-book-david-sepkoski-9780415702119","title":"Nominalism and Constructivism in Seventeenth-Century Mathematical Philosophy","description":"What was the basis for the adoption of mathematics as the primary mode of discourse for describing natural events by a large segment of the philosophical community in the seventeenth century?   In answering this question, this book demonstrates that a significant group of philosophers shared the belief that there is no necessary correspondence between external reality and objects of human understanding, which they held to include the objects of mathematical and linguistic discourse. The result is a scholarly reliable, but accessible, account of the role of mathematics in the works of (amongst others) Galileo, Kepler, Descartes, Newton, Leibniz, and Berkeley.   This impressive volume will benefit scholars interested in the history of philosophy, mathematical philosophy and the history of mathematics.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52486755385617,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52486756401425,"sku":"NLS9780415702119","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9780415702119.jpg?v=1759859733"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/collections\/author-books-by-david-sepkoski.oembed","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}