Cleopatra's Nose: Essays on the UnexpectedRandom House, 1994 - 210 strani This provocative new collection of essays by a Pulitzer Prize winner deals with the challenging themes of discovery and surprise in history. Cleopatra's Nose is not a miscellany but rather a selection of recent essays illustrating specific subjects that have preoccupied Boorstin for several decades. Tantalizing themes all: How sometimes discovery only increases our ignorance. What were the specific historical opportunities in the New World? How has the fourth kingdom - the kingdom of machines - contradicted Darwinian expectations, contributed to a confusion of statistics, created the need for the unnecessary, and highlighted the paradoxes of science and the politics of common sense? In a "personal postscript", Boorstin gives us a memorable and affectionate portrait of his father and optimistically celebrates the United States as the Land of the Unexpected. |
Vsebina
Foreword ix | 1 |
The Cultures of Pride and Awe | 18 |
Discoverers and Inventors | 31 |
Avtorske pravice | |
15 preostalih delov ni prikazanih
Druge izdaje - Prikaži vse
Pogosti izrazi in povedi
age of discoveries Age of Exploration American American Exceptionalism animal architecture artists astronomy atomic automobile became become Boorstin building by-products called capital Capitol century CHAPTER common sense Congress conscience Constitution convention course created culture of creation Custine Custine's Darwin Darwinian expectations Democracy Democracy in America democratic dome earth Edison England English environment Europe European experience familiar father fourth kingdom future googolplex human imagination institutions invention inventor Jefferson John Donne Karl Marx knowledge L'Enfant Library living machine kingdom man's maps Marquis de Custine meaning ment modern multiply nation nature needs negative discovery never newly newspaper novel observed paradox Pierre Charles L'Enfant political president president's house printed progress prophecy prophets realms remind role Russia society species survival telescope Thomas Jefferson tion Tocqueville Tocqueville's tradition Tulsa unexpected United Universe voyage Washington Western White House whole word writer