Philosophy: Histsory and Readings, 8th edition

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This text brings together Stumpf and Fieser �s Socrates to Sartre and Beyond with an updated anthology of readings in one volume. It offers an accessible historical survey of philosophical ideas and a wealth of primary source readings at an excellent value. The text is a comprehensive, historically organized introduction to philosophy which communicates the richness of the discipline and provides the student with a working knowledge of the development of Western philosophy. With a lively and approachable style it covers the principal contributions of Western civilization� s most influential philosophers. The chronologically organized reader features a wide selection of readings of both Western philosophy and Eastern philosophy.

Philosophy: Histsory and Readings, 8th edition Review

This philosophy book by Stumpf and Fieser is used at Ivy Tech State College as the primary text for the introduction to philosophy courses (100 level). It is a good survey of all the major topics in philosophy (from a classical Western standpoint), and includes many of the major thinkers over time, both in the narrative discussion presented by the authors, as well as in primary source readings from major philosophers themselves.

As the book's self-description states, this is a combination of two previous texts - 'Socrates to Sartre and Beyond: A History of Philosphy' by Stumpf, and 'Philosophical Problems' by Fieser. These books are presented one after the other, both under one cover. The readings selected and edited by Fieser are grouped topically, generally following an early-to-late chronology of ordering. Thus, with judicious planning, the reader of philosophy can develop from both segments a good general survey from the earliest times (the timeline on the backplate begins with Thales, from 624-546 B.C.) to the present (again from the timeline, current thinkers listed include John Rawls, John Hick, and Carol Gilligan).

The Stumpf text is divided into five major sections: I - Ancient Greek Philosophy; II - Hellenistic and Medieval Philosophy; III - Early Modern Philosophy; IV - Late Modern and 19th Century Philosophy; and V - 20th Century and Contemporary Philosophy. Section I looks at the major ancient Greek thinkers, such as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, as well as lesser-known important figures and schools such as Thales, Pythagoras, the Sophists, and more. This is the time that philosophy began to be broken into certain topical areas (ethics, politics, metaphysics, logic, etc.) but also a time when the disciplines of science, mathematics and what we would call social sciences and arts and humanities were all directly and explicitly tied to the overall philosophical enterprise.

The section on Hellenistic and Medieval Philosophy looks at later Greek schools (Stocism, Skepticism, Epicureanism) as well as the advent of Christianity and Christian influence in philosophical development. Key figures here include Augustine (heavily influenced by the twin sources of Christianity and Neoplatonism), Boethius, Anselm, Aquinas (influenced greatly by the European rediscovery of Aristotle), and late medieval figures such as Scotus, Ockham and Eckhart.

Early Modern Philosophy begins at the time the various Renaissance and Reformation periods began, looking at key philosophers such as Machiavelli, Bacon, Hobbes, Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, and the British Empiricists; this was also the advent of the scientific revolution and prelude to the Enlightenment, so there were philosophies of politics, religion, science, knowledge and ethics significantly different from anything before.

Late Modern and 19th Century Philosophy looks at primary Enlightenment figures such as Kant and Hegel, with fundamentally new ideas in the areas of metaphysics and epistemology (and, accordingly, new philosophies in other areas that reflect the new developments). This is also the period that saw the advent of Utilitarianism (Bentham, Mill, and Comte), and radical thinkers such as Kierkegaard, Marx and Nietzsche, whose direct influence in areas of religion, politics, and culture are still being felt.

Key areas covered in the final chapter on Contemporary Philosophy include Pragmatism (Pierce, James, Dewey, Bergson, Whitehead), Analytic Philosophy (Russell and Wittgenstein), Phenomenology and Existentialism (Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre, Merleau-Ponty), and very new ideas that are only now coming to full expression (postmodernism, structuralism and post-structuralism, mind-body problems, etc.). Overall, this text includes a 500-page narrative of the principle ideas and patterns of development that have shaped the many dimensions of Western philosophy.

Added to this narrative text is a 400-page collection of articles and edited tracts organised by Fieser into seven categories: I - The Meaning of Life; II - Philosophy of Mind; III - Philosophy of Religion; IV - Epistemology; V - Free Will and Determinism; VI - Ethics; and VII - Political Philosophy. Each of these sections is introduced by Fieser with a short essay (a few pages each, at most); these set the stage for the readings, and provide connecting material where appropriate, but for the most part, Fieser lets the primary documents speak for themselves. These sections include traditional philosopher-authors (Plato, Aristotle, Locke, Hume, James, Rawls), but also some authors/writings not generally included in such collections (Leo Tolstoy, Chuang-tzu, Katha Upanishad).

Together, these make a wonderful one-volume, portable philosophy library. Sufficient for an introductory course, it should also serve to whet the appetite of readers who are seeking more in particular philosophical areas. The combination of both Stumpf's and Fieser's texts means that the appeal and ease of use will be enhanced - those students who find primary documents difficult to follow can rely more on the narrative history/explanatory section; those who find the latter less gratifying and interesting can pay more attention to the primary documents.

In the Stumpf section, there is a useful glossary of key philosophical terms, a select bibliography arranged chronologically by chapter, divided into original documents and critical studies, and an index including names, terms and concepts. There are no such indexes or bibliographies following the Fieser section, but that section does list the citation for each excerpt at the beginning of each article, so that the reader may follow up with further reading in the same document.

Philosophy is rarely easy reading; there will be parts that appeal to a particular reader that will leave another bewildered or bored (or both!), but there tends to be in the philosophical discipline something somewhere of interest to most. This gives a good, broad layout of philosophy as done in the primary Western, academic tradition, and serves as a good text for classrooms, as well as use for a personal study.

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Inquiry into Life

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Basic biological concepts and processes with a human emphasis. From the unique delivery of biology content, to the time tested art program, to the complete integration of the text with technology, Dr. Sylvia Mader has formed a teaching system that will both motivate and enable your students to understand and appreciate the wonders of all areas of biology. Inquiry into Life, 13/e emphasizes the application of all areas of biology to knowledge of human concerns, what the students are able to relate to. This distinctive text was developed to stand apart from all other non-majors texts with a unique approach, unparalleled art, and a straightforward, succinct writing style that has been acclaimed by both users and reviewers.

Inquiry into Life Review

The info in the book is comprehensible. Easy to understand and if you actually read it then it should be easy to answer any quizes on the material.

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Hedge Funds: Definitive Strategies and Techniques (Wiley Finance)

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A well-rounded hedge fund guide for the serious financial professional
Alternative investment strategies-hedge funds in particular-have experienced a significant resurgence recently, largely in response to the dramatic downturn of the global equity markets. In response to this explosion in popularity, this book focuses on many of the best moneymaking strategies related to these alternative investment vehicles.
IMCA (The Investment Management Consultants Association) is a professional association established in 1985, representing the investment consulting profession in the U.S. and Canada. Kenneth S. Phillips is a member of the IMCA Advisory Council and Managing Principal of Capital Partners, LLC. Ron Surz, CIMA, is a member of the IMCA Board of Directors and the President of PPCA Inc.

Hedge Funds: Definitive Strategies and Techniques (Wiley Finance) Review

Written by hedge fund people and university researchers, this collection includes in-depth discussions of money-making techniques practiced by fund managers. It may not be for beginners, but offers practical insights for those with some knowledge of hedge funds. The article on hedged equity strategies, for instance, classifies these by several characteristics such as the nature of a manager's research. The author then points out the pros and cons of each category, thereby clarifying key issues.Another paper looks at global macro--the strategy made famous by George Soros. There is a common notion that the day of the giant macro fund is over and there will be nobody like Soros again. This author rejects the idea, arguing that potentially great macro managers are out there, waiting to be discovered. Now that there is broader interest in hedge funds, books like this one can help demystify what these offer to investors who seek alternatives to mutual funds. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews� Was this review helpful to you?�Yes No Report abuse | PermalinkComment Comment

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IPOs and Equity Offerings (Securities Institute Global Capital Markets)

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An initial public offering (IPO) is one of the most significant events in corporate life. It follows months, even years of preparation. During the boom years of the late 1990s bull market, IPOs of growth companies captured the imagination and pocketbooks of investors like never before.

This book goes behind the scenes to examine the process of an offering from the decision to go public to the procedures of a subsequent equity offering. The book is written from the perspective of an experienced investment banker describing the hows and whys of IPOs and subsequent equity issues.

Each aspect of an IPO is illustrated with plenty of international examples pitched alongside relevant academic research to offer a combination of theoretical rigour and practical application.

Topics covered are:
- the decision to go public
- legal and regulatory aspects of an offering; marketing and research
- valuation and pricing
- allocations of shares to investors
- examination of fees and commissions


* Global perpective: UK, European and US practices, regulations and examples, and case studies
* First hand experience written by an IPO trader with academic rigour
* Includes the changes in the market that resulted from 1998-2000 equity boom

IPOs and Equity Offerings (Securities Institute Global Capital Markets) Review

I wanted to learn in detail about the process of the IPOs and secondary public offerings. This book gave me pretty much everything I wanted to know and then some. I found it to be easy to read and engaging. It was just a great, eye-opening book. It's totally up to date even though some research findings are a bit dated because things don't really change that much in the IPO world.

The book is international in scope, and should satisfy those interested in US-only, international-only, or a combination IPOs.

You will learn some things that you probably didn't even now existed. Did you know banks allocate part of their fees to stabilazation, which means they will buy shares when the market opens in case there is a downward pressure on the stock. They are allowed to stabilize the price for 30 days.

Also, did you know that the difference between IPO price and the opening price is risk premium? I always thought that IPOs rise so much on the first day BECAUSE they are so great. In fact, the reason for the rise is the opposite: it's because the company is considered risky by IPO investors and they will only pay enough for it to allow for a nice upside to compensate for their risk. That partially explained the huge run-ups in the first day of trading during the bubble. It's hard to admit that I had all this wrong.

You will learn everything about the process from company valuation, to roadshow and marketing, to the way syndicates work and the associated politics, to the fee allocation among various managers and underwriters. You will also learn about ADRs and the way international companies chose listing on various international (US-including) stock exchanges.

Overall, just a superb book for somebody who wants to completely understand the process of equity offerings. The author uses sufficient examples, but I feel that for those wanting even more detail, the author could have included more war stories and easily increased the size of the book by 50-100%. I am not sure whether that would have made it a better book, though. Right now, it's short and sweet. Easily 4.5 stars.

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An Introduction to Wavelets and Other Filtering Methods in Finance and Economics

You looking to find the "An Introduction to Wavelets and Other Filtering Methods in Finance and Economics" Good news! You can purchase An Introduction to Wavelets and Other Filtering Methods in Finance and Economics with secure price and compare to view update price on this product. And deals on this product is available only for limited time.

   

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An Introduction to Wavelets and Other Filtering Methods in Finance and Economics presents a unified view of filtering techniques with a special focus on wavelet analysis in finance and economics. It emphasizes the methods and explanations of the theory that underlies them. It also concentrates on exactly what wavelet analysis (and filtering methods in general) can reveal about a time series. It offers testing issues which can be performed with wavelets in conjunction with the multi-resolution analysis. The descriptive focus of the book avoids proofs and provides easy access to a wide spectrum of parametric and nonparametric filtering methods. Examples and empirical applications will show readers the capabilities, advantages, and disadvantages of each method.

*The first book to present a unified view of filtering techniques

*Concentrates on exactly what wavelets analysis and filtering methods in general can reveal about a time series

*Provides easy access to a wide spectrum of parametric and non-parametric filtering methods

An Introduction to Wavelets and Other Filtering Methods in Finance and Economics Review

Various types of non-stationarities are common in time series data from financial markets. This requires a guide for selecting among numerous tools to deal with the non-stationarity. A unified treatment of filters like this book is a great help since it provides a fast and rigorous introduction.

Chapter 2 is on the general linear filtering theory with cleverly designed applications for illustrative purposes. "Optimum Linear Estimation" is the focus of Chapter 3 in which the Wiener Filter and the Kalman Filters among others are studied. Chapter 4 is on Discrete Wavelet Transforms and provides applications like filtering intraday seasonality in FX market and an examination of the relation between money growth and inflation. Long memory processes with seasonal components are analyzed using wavelets in Chapter 5. Denoising of economics and financial time series is the topic of Chapter 6. The decomposition of variance across different frequency bands as well as the cross-covariance between two time-series at different scales is covered in Chapter 7. Finally, Chapter 8 is on artificial neural networks in which both an introduction to the concept and some design issues with appropriate model selection criteria are provided.Discussison of these relatively advanced topics is very simple and clear without sacrificing important details. Highly recommended. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews� Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Report abuse | PermalinkComment Comment

Most of the consumer Reviews tell that the "An Introduction to Wavelets and Other Filtering Methods in Finance and Economics" are high quality item. You can read each testimony from consumers to find out cons and pros from An Introduction to Wavelets and Other Filtering Methods in Finance and Economics ...