Comments on: Summer books, what's readable?

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 10:34:58 +0000

Musica per passione: David Guetta e la sua Getting Over You…

Ho trovato il tuo articolo interessante e ho aggiunto il trackback al mio blog!…

By: Razib Khan

Razib Khan — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 03:33:54 +0000

Principles of Population Genetics, Fourth Edition is probably sufficient. there are some others. also, The Genetical Theory of Natural Selection is arguably the foundation of the field (pop gen in the 30s emerged large part with discussions and responses to the book). Origins of Theoretical Population Genetics gives you a good historical framework.

By: Antonio

Antonio — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 03:27:04 +0000

Thanks for your answer. I have not read any textbooks as of yet, just random stuff, including some technical articles, mostly from your blog and a few other blogs. I’m familiar with stats so that, for instance, Principal Component is fine for me. Any particulary good textbook? Again, thank you for your time. Antonio.

By: Razib Khan

Razib Khan — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 03:07:22 +0000

have you read the textbooks? if so that’s a fine book, just keep in mind it’s on the old side. mapping human history, journey of man, and the real eve, are all OK.

By: Antonio

Antonio — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 01:22:44 +0000

Hi all,

I have a question instead of a suggestion

For someone (myself in that case) new to this world of the intersection between population genetics, history and social sciences discussed in this space, which reading(s) do you recommend as a good starting point? Maybe The History and Geography of Human Genes?

Thanks and congratualations for the excellent blog,

Antonio.

By: Rob

Rob — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 00:38:13 +0000

Moral Psychology Handbook
http://books.google.com/books?id=N_mW2tpvf1cC&lpg=PP1&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false

Philosophers on serial killers
http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-1405199636,descCd-tableOfContents.html

Is There Anything Good About Men?
http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/general/subject/SocialWork/?view=usa&ci=9780195374100

Conscious Will and Responsibility: A Tribute to Benjamin Libet
http://oup.com/us/catalog/general/subject/Psychology/CognitivePsychology/CognitiveNeuroscience/?view=usa&sf=toc&ci=9780195381641

Revised 2nd ed.of Galen Strawson’s FREEDOM AND BELIEF
http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/general/subject/Philosophy/Metaphysics/?view=usa&ci=9780199247509

(Some readers may be familiar with Strawson’s recent rehearsal of his Basic Argument for the impossibility of ultimate moral responsibility here:
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/22/your-move-the-maze-of-free-will/ )

By: John Emerson

John Emerson — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 23:22:29 +0000

Fascinating, lots of interesting stuff, needs a grain of salt: “The Horse in Human History”, Kelekna. Very broadly researched.

“Plough, book, and sword”, Ernest Gellner: a general theory of history that seems far better grounded than most. The historical relationship between military specialists, religious specialists (literati), and the economy (agricultural during most of history)….. plus other stuff. Recently featured at “Crooked Timber”, and also endorsed by Cosma Shlaizi.

“The Military Revolution and Political Change”, Brian Downing. History of early modern Europe arguing that politico-military changes were key. Pairs well with Tilly’s “Coercion, Capital, and European States.”

By: John Emerson

John Emerson — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 23:05:12 +0000

I was extremely disappointed with both of Weatherford’s works. I’m pretty well up on the literature, so I was looking for things I didn’t already know. But whenever I came to one, I’d look for documentation, and there usually wasn’t any. Weatherford’s writing style is semi-popular, so I couldn’t be sure that it wasn’t just his personal intuition. But even worse, sometimes I suspected that he was relaying Mongol oral tradition or scholarship unaccredited, not as plagiarism but for the sake of reaching a wider audience. So there might have been something really there, without my being able to be know whether there was.

It was a very painful reading experience for me.

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Tue, 27 Jul 2010 22:57:07 +0000

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By: dan

dan — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 22:33:27 +0000

Sean Carroll’s (your Discover colleague) book is pretty good. There’s a summary interview on wired or wiki if you don’t want to read the whole thing. it’s about how entropy is related to time. I know i keep harping on this but the Charlie Rose “Brain series” is so good it eliminates having to “brush up” on the newest neuroscience and genetics of neuroscience. it was/is awesome. Eric Kandel moderates the whole thing and it’s still going on.
http://www.charlierose.com/view/collection/10702
i know it’s not reading but there’s some great free lectures from MIT about the newest research on Autism, depression, etc.
http://mitworld.mit.edu/browse/topic/19