Brian Skyrms's Books

Social Dynamics

By: Brian Skyrms

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Brian Skyrms applies adaptive dynamics (of cultural evolution and individual learning) to social theory, investigating altruism, spite, fairness, trust, division of labor, and signaling. Correlation is seen to be fundamental. Spontaneous emergence of social structure and of signaling systems are examined in the context of learning dynamics.

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354

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Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0199652821

ISBN 13

9780199652822

From Zeno to Arbitrage

Essays on Quantity, Coherence, and Induction

By: Brian Skyrms

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From Zeno to Arbitrage

Essays on Quantity, Coherence, and Induction

By: Brian Skyrms

Brian Skyrms presents a set of influential essays on the nature of quantity, probability, coherence, and induction. The first part explores the nature of quantity and includes essays on tractarian nominalism, combinatorial possibility, and coherence. Part Two proceeds to examine coherent updating of degrees of belief in various learning situations. Finally, in Part Three, Skyrms develops an account of aspects of inductive reasoning, which proceeds from specific problems to general considerations. These essays span the breadth of Skyrms's illustrious career and will be essential reading for scholars and advanced students in philosophy of science and formal epistemology.

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263

Publisher

OUP Oxford

Published Date

ISBN 10

0191655368

ISBN 13

9780191655364

Evolution of the Social Contract

By: Brian Skyrms

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Evolution of the Social Contract

By: Brian Skyrms

This new edition further develops the application of evolutionary game theory to an analysis of the origins of social contracts.

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165

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Cambridge University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1107077281

ISBN 13

9781107077287

Signals

Evolution, Learning, and Information

By: Brian Skyrms

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Signals

Evolution, Learning, and Information

By: Brian Skyrms

Brian Skyrms presents a fascinating exploration of how fundamental signals are to our world. He uses a variety of tools — theories of signaling games, information, evolution, and learning — to investigate how meaning and communication develop. He shows how signaling games themselves evolve, and introduces a new model of learning with invention. The juxtaposition of atomic signals leads to complex signals, as the natural product of gradual process. Signals operate in networks of senders and receivers at all levels of life. Information is transmitted, but it is also processed in various ways. That is how we think — signals run around a very complicated signaling network. Signaling is a key ingredient in the evolution of teamwork, in the human but also in the animal world, even in micro-organisms. Communication and co-ordination of action are different aspects of the flow of information, and are both effected by signals.

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208

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OUP Oxford

Published Date

ISBN 10

0191614904

ISBN 13

9780191614903

The Stag Hunt and the Evolution of Social Structure

By: Brian Skyrms

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The Stag Hunt and the Evolution of Social Structure

By: Brian Skyrms

Brian Skyrms, author of the successful Evolution of the Social Contract (which won the prestigious Lakatos Award) has written a sequel. The book is a study of ideas of cooperation and collective action. The point of departure is a prototypical story found in Rousseau's A Discourse on Inequality. Rousseau contrasts the pay-off of hunting hare where the risk of non-cooperation is small but the reward is equally small, against the pay-off of hunting the stag where maximum cooperation is required but where the reward is so much greater. Thus, rational agents are pulled in one direction by considerations of risk and in another by considerations of mutual benefit. Written with Skyrms's characteristic clarity and verve, this intriguing book will be eagerly sought out by students and professionals in philosophy, political science, economics, sociology and evolutionary biology.

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170

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Cambridge University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0521533929

ISBN 13

9780521533928

The Stag Hunt and the Evolution of Social Structure

By: Brian Skyrms

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The Stag Hunt and the Evolution of Social Structure

By: Brian Skyrms

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149

Published Date

ISBN 10

0521826519

ISBN 13

9780521826518

From Zeno to Arbitrage

Essays on Quantity, Coherence, and Induction

By: Brian Skyrms

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From Zeno to Arbitrage

Essays on Quantity, Coherence, and Induction

By: Brian Skyrms

Brian Skyrms presents a set of influential essays which deploy formal methods to address epistemological and metaphysical questions. The first part of the book focuses on quantity; the second on degrees of belief, belief revision, and coherence; the third on aspects of inductive reasoning.

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264

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Oxford University Press (UK)

Published Date

ISBN 10

0199652813

ISBN 13

9780199652815

The Pursuit of Happiness

Philosophical and Psychological Foundations of Utility

By: Louis Narens,Brian Skyrms

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The Pursuit of Happiness

Philosophical and Psychological Foundations of Utility

By: Louis Narens,Brian Skyrms

Utilitarianism began as a movement for social reform that changed the world, based on the ideal of maximizing pleasure and minimizing pain. There is a tendency to enter into debates for and against the ethical doctrine of Utilitarianism without a clear understanding of its basic concepts. The Pursuit of Happiness now offers a rigorous account of the foundations of Utilitarianism, and vividly sets out possible ways forward for its future development. To understand Utilitarianism, we must understand utility: how is it to be measured, and how the aggregate utility of a group can be understood. Louis Narens and Brian Skyrms, respectively a cognitive scientist and a philosopher, pursue these questions by adopting both formal and historical methods, examining theories of measuring utility from Jeremy Bentham, the founder of the Utilitarian movement, to the present day, taking in psychophysics, positivism, measurement theory, meaningfulness, neuropsychology, representation theorems, and the dynamics of formation of conventions. On this basis, Narens and Skyrms argue that a meaningful form of Utilitarianism that can coordinate action in social groups is possible through interpersonal comparison and the formation of conventions.

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208

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0192598422

ISBN 13

9780192598424

Ten Great Ideas about Chance

By: Persi Diaconis,Brian Skyrms

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Ten Great Ideas about Chance

By: Persi Diaconis,Brian Skyrms

In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, gamblers and mathematicians transformed the idea of chance from a mystery into the discipline of probability, setting the stage for a series of breakthroughs that enabled or transformed innumerable fields, from gambling, mathematics, statistics, economics, and finance to physics and computer science. This book tells the story of ten great ideas about chance and the thinkers who developed them, tracing the philosophical implications of these ideas as well as their mathematical impact.

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272

Publisher

Princeton University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0691196397

ISBN 13

9780691196398

Reasons without Persons

Rationality, Identity, and Time

By: Brian Hedden

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Reasons without Persons

Rationality, Identity, and Time

By: Brian Hedden

Brian Hedden defends a radical view about the relationship between rationality, personal identity, and time. On the standard view, personal identity over time plays a central role in thinking about rationality. This is because, on the standard view, there are rational norms for how a person's attitudes and actions at one time should fit with her attitudes and actions at other times, norms that apply within a person but not across persons. But these norms are problematic. They make what you rationally ought to believe or do depend on facts about your past that aren't part of your current perspective on the world, and they make rationality depend on controversial, murky metaphysical facts about what binds different instantaneous snapshots (or 'time-slices') into a single person extended in time. Hedden takes a different approach, treating the relationship between different time-slices of the same person as no different from the relationship between different people. For purposes of rational evaluation, a temporally extended person is akin to a group of people. The locus of rationality is the time-slice rather than the temporally extended agent. Taking an impersonal, time-slice-centric approach to rationality yields a unified approach to the rationality of beliefs, preferences, and actions where what rationality demands of you is solely determined by your evidence, with no special weight given to your past beliefs or actions.

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219

Publisher

OUP Oxford

Published Date

ISBN 10

0191046574

ISBN 13

9780191046575

The Dynamics of Rational Deliberation

By: Brian Skyrms

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The Dynamics of Rational Deliberation

By: Brian Skyrms

Brian Skyrms constructs a theory of "dynamic deliberation" and uses it to investigate rational decisionmaking in cases of strategic interaction. This illuminating book will be of great interest to all those in many disciplines who use decision theory and game theory to study human behavior and thought. Skyrms begins by discussing the Bayesian theory of individual rational decision and the classical theory of games, which at first glance seem antithetical in the criteria used for determining action. In his effort to show how methods for dealing with information feedback can be productively combined, the author skillfully leads us through the mazes of equilibrium selection, the Nash equilibria for normal and extensive forms, structural stability, causal decision theory, dynamic probability, the revision of beliefs, and, finally, good habits for decision. The author provides many clarifying illustrations and a handy appendix called "Deliberational Dynamics on Your Personal Computer." His powerful model has important implications for understanding the rational origins of convention and the social contract, the logic of nuclear deterrence, the theory of good habits, and the varied strategies of political and economic behavior.

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228

Publisher

Harvard University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

067421885X

ISBN 13

9780674218857

Philosophy of Biology

By: Brian Garvey

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Philosophy of Biology

By: Brian Garvey

This major new series in the philosophy of science aims to provide a new generation of textbooks for the subject. The series will not only offer fresh treatments of core topics in the theory and methodology of scientific knowledge, but also introductions to newer areas of the discipline. Furthermore, the series will cover topics in current science that raise significant foundational issues both for scientific theory and for philosophy more generally. Biology raises distinct questions of its own not only for philosophy of science, but for metaphysics, epistemology and ethics. This comprehensive new textbook for a rapidly growing field of study provides students new to the subject with an up-to-date presentation of the key philosophical issues. Care is taken throughout to keep the technicalities accessible to the non-biologist but without sacrificing the philosophical subtleties. The first part of the book covers the philosophical challenges posed by evolution and evolutionary biology, beginning with Darwin's central argument in the Origin of the Species. Individual chapters cover natural selection, the selfish gene, alternative units of selection, developmental systems theory, adaptionism and issues in macroevolution. The second part of the book examines philosophical questions arising in connection with biological traits, function, nature and nurture, and biological kinds. The third part of the book examines metaphysical questions, biology's relation with the traditional concerns of philosophy of science, and how evolution has been introduced into epistemological debates. The final part considers the relevance of biology to questions about ethics, religion and human nature.

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Page Count

405

Publisher

Routledge

Published Date

ISBN 10

1317493664

ISBN 13

9781317493662

The Economics of Search

By: Brian McCall,John McCall

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The Economics of Search

By: Brian McCall,John McCall

The economics of search is a prominent component of economic theory, and it has a richness and elegance that underpins a host of practical applications. In this book Brian and John McCall present a comprehensive overview of the economic theory of search, from the classical model of job search formulated 40 years ago to the recent developments in equilibrium models of search. The book gives decision-theoretic foundations to seemingly slippery issues in labour market theory, estimation theory and economic dynamics in general, and surveys the entire field of the economics of search, including its history, theory, and econometric applications. Theoretical models of the economics of search are covered as well as estimation methods used in search theory and topics covered include job search, turnover, unemployment, liquidity, house selling, real options and auctions. The mathematical methods used in search theory such as dynamic programming are reviewed as well as structural estimation methods and econometric methods for duration models. The authors also explore the classic sequential search model and its extensions in addition to recent advances in equilibrium search theory.

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574

Publisher

Routledge

Published Date

ISBN 10

1134422350

ISBN 13

9781134422357

Evolution of the Social Contract

By: Brian Skyrms

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Evolution of the Social Contract

By: Brian Skyrms

This new edition further develops the application of evolutionary game theory to an analysis of the origins of social contracts.

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Page Count

165

Publisher

Cambridge University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1107077281

ISBN 13

9781107077287

Social Dynamics

By: Brian Skyrms

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Social Dynamics

By: Brian Skyrms

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354

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Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0199652821

ISBN 13

9780199652822

Ten Great Ideas about Chance

By: Persi Diaconis,Brian Skyrms

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Ten Great Ideas about Chance

By: Persi Diaconis,Brian Skyrms

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272

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Princeton University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0691196397

ISBN 13

9780691196398

The Pursuit of Happiness

Philosophical and Psychological Foundations of Utility

By: Louis Narens,Brian Skyrms

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The Pursuit of Happiness

Philosophical and Psychological Foundations of Utility

By: Louis Narens,Brian Skyrms

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208

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Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0192598422

ISBN 13

9780192598424

Blood on the Tracks

The Lifea nd Times of S. Brian Willson

By: Willson, S. Brian

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Blood on the Tracks

The Lifea nd Times of S. Brian Willson

By: Willson, S. Brian

“We are not worth more, they are not worth less.” This is the mantra of S. Brian Willson and the theme that runs throughout his compelling psycho-historical memoir. Willson’s story begins in small-town, rural America, where he grew up as a “Commie-hating, baseball-loving Baptist,” moves through life-changing experiences in Viet Nam, Nicaragua and elsewhere, and culminates with his commitment to a localized, sustainable lifestyle. In telling his story, Willson provides numerous examples of the types of personal, risk-taking, nonviolent actions he and others have taken in attempts to educate and effect political change: tax refusal—which requires simplification of one’s lifestyle; fasting—done publicly in strategic political and/or therapeutic spiritual contexts; and obstruction tactics—strategically placing one’s body in the way of “business as usual.” It was such actions that thrust Brian Willson into the public eye in the mid-’80s, first as a participant in a high-profile, water-only “Veterans Fast for Life” against the Contra war being waged by his government in Nicaragua. Then, on a fateful day in September 1987, the world watched in horror as Willson was run over by a U.S. government munitions train during a nonviolent blocking action in which he expected to be removed from the tracks and arrested. Losing his legs only strengthened Willson’s identity with millions of unnamed victims of U.S. policy around the world. He provides details of his travels to countries in Latin America and the Middle East and bears witness to the harm done to poor people as well as to the environment by the steamroller of U.S. imperialism. These heart-rending accounts are offered side by side with inspirational stories of nonviolent struggle and the survival of resilient communities Willson’s expanding consciousness also uncovers injustices within his own country, including insights gained through his study and service within the U.S. criminal justice system and personal experiences addressing racial injustices. He discusses coming to terms with his identity as a Viet Nam veteran and the subsequent service he provides to others as director of a veterans outreach center in New England. He draws much inspiration from friends he encounters along the way as he finds himself continually drawn to the path leading to a simpler life that seeks to “do no harm.&rdquo Throughout his personal journey Willson struggles with the question, “Why was it so easy for me, a ’good’ man, to follow orders to travel 9,000 miles from home to participate in killing people who clearly were not a threat to me or any of my fellow citizens?” He eventually comes to the realization that the “American Way of Life” is AWOL from humanity, and that the only way to recover our humanity is by changing our consciousness, one individual at a time, while striving for collective cultural changes toward “less and local.” Thus, Willson offers up his personal story as a metaphorical map for anyone who feels the need to be liberated from the American Way of Life—a guidebook for anyone called by conscience to question continued obedience to vertical power structures while longing to reconnect with the human archetypes of cooperation, equity, mutual respect and empathy.

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749

Publisher

PM Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

160486592X

ISBN 13

9781604865929

Blood on the Tracks

The Life and Times of S. Brian Willson : a Psychohistorical Memoir

By: S. Brian Willson

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Blood on the Tracks

The Life and Times of S. Brian Willson : a Psychohistorical Memoir

By: S. Brian Willson

After serving in the Vietnam War, S. Brian Willson became a radical, nonviolent peace protester and pacifist, and this memoir details the drastic governmental and social change he has spent his life fighting for. Chronicling his personal struggle with a government he believes to be unjust, Willson sheds light on the various incarnations of his protests of the U.S. government, including the refusal to pay taxes, public fasting, and, most famously, public obstruction. On September 1, 1987, Willson was run over by a U.S. government munitions train during a nonviolent blocking action in which he expected to be removed from the tracks. Providing a full look into the tragic event, Willson, who lost his legs in the incident, discusses how the subsequent publicity propelled his cause toward the national consciousness. Now, 23 years later, Willson tells his story of social injustice, nonviolent struggle, and the so-called American way of life.

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Page Count

441

Publisher

Pm Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1604864214

ISBN 13

9781604864212

Some Lives of Brian

By: Brian Stuart

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Some Lives of Brian

By: Brian Stuart

An only child living in Aldershot, Brian Stuart has always been in touch with the arts. When his father was called up to the army in 1940 his mother decided to take in boarders who performed weekly in the Hippodrome.

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Page Count

137

Publisher

Pen Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

190717284X

ISBN 13

9781907172847

I Am Brian Wilson

A Memoir

By: Brian Wilson,Ben Greenman

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I Am Brian Wilson

A Memoir

By: Brian Wilson,Ben Greenman

Memoir of legendary Beach Boy member Brian Wilson

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Page Count

338

Publisher

Da Capo Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0306823063

ISBN 13

9780306823060

Brian’s Autobiography and Featuring Some of His Great Achievements

The Wonder of What One Can Achieve When We Take the Time to Build on What We Can Do

By: Brian Willetts

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Brian’s Autobiography and Featuring Some of His Great Achievements

The Wonder of What One Can Achieve When We Take the Time to Build on What We Can Do

By: Brian Willetts

This book does not offer any miracles, although it does offer a better opportunity for someone to get results, for one who is prepared to get out of the victim role and take a positive step into seeing what they can do for themselves. By reading this book, you will realise the significance of continuous learning. And that’s how philosophy tries to discover the nature of truth and knowledge, to find what is of basic value and importance in life. This is about the relationships between humanity and nature and between the individual and the society.

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Page Count

259

Publisher

Xlibris Corporation

Published Date

ISBN 10

1984503472

ISBN 13

9781984503473

In Other Words

By: Brian Farley

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In Other Words

By: Brian Farley

This book is a bringing together of many aspects of the experiences of my Christian journey. As time has unfolded, there have been many occasions where I have felt a subtle yet strong tug on my heart and mind to put down on paper what has been presented to me by the Holy Spirit. All of these one to two page essays have foundations in daily life and through contact with people, places, animals, and things. I hope that through these writings the reader can develop a deeper sense of faith in our Jesus. I also wish for the reader to gain a sense of hope for the future promise of eternal life.

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Page Count

132

Publisher

Covenant Books, Inc.

Published Date

ISBN 10

1640038868

ISBN 13

9781640038868

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