Page 22 - The Jewish Voice - December '22

Page 22, The Jewish Voice

arts & entertainment

Book Review Obsolescence – The practice of deliberately designing
products with a limited useful life; Game Theory – An applied
1001 Ideas that Changed the Way We Think mathematical theory used to evaluate competitive situations;
Chemotherapy – The development of a new generation of
By Nils A. Shapiro drugs designed to fight cancer; Binary Code – The conversion
The decision to create this how do you establish which of the of information to strings of zeros and ones; Peer Pressure – A
extraordinary volume two existed first?; Social Welfare study into how an individual is coerced into conforming with
deserves to be considered – Services provided by a state’s majority opinion; Family Therapy – A suggestion for an
the 1002nd greatest idea! government to benefit its citizens; entirely new approach to understanding how families work;
I believe it to be a fair Vaccination – The administration of Milgram Experiments – Experiments in social and moral
assumption that I have read a safe material to promote immunity to a harmful organism; psychology testing obedience to authority; Virtual Reality –
at least as many books in my Trial by Jury – A legal proceeding by which the verdict is A computer-generated environment able to simulate physical
lifetime to date as any reader determined by members of the community; Equals Sign – presence; String Theory – A theory that seeks to reconcile
of this review column. In The shorthand use of two parallel lines that revolutionized general relativity with quantum mechanics; Gene Therapy –
addition to my passion for mathematics; Continental Drift – The proposal that the The use of DNA as a pharmaceutical agent to treat disease;
reading during my growing continents, once joined, move across the Earth’s surface; Near-death Experience – A study of the sensations reported
up years and the study requirements of schooling, my first Isolationism – A policy by which a nation sets itself apart from by people who have been on the threshold of death.
job upon graduation was a 15-year stint with a major book the rest of the world; Wave Theory of Light – The concept that These 45 examples, of course, don’t begin to scratch the
publisher that involved consistently reading new and upcoming light is emitted in all directions as a series of waves; Optimism surface of the 1,001 ideas presented in this weighty tome, but
titles. – The theory that we live in the best of all possible worlds, they at least serve to suggest the diversity of topics covered.
In the decades since then, apart from the many books I which includes a belief that the universe is improving and that And the following single example reflects how much delight
read strictly for pleasure I have reviewed almost 200 for this good will ultimately triumph over evil; Sign Language for the and fun often accompanies the wealth of information.
column and edited the authors’ manuscripts for 20 more books Deaf – Using a vocabulary of gestures rather than sounds to In the entry for the “equals” symbol in mathematics, while
for New York publishers. communicate; Solar Power – Harnessing the power of the sun the writer provides much more detail about how and where the
I mention all this only because when I state that this month’s to provide energy; Dark Night Sky Paradox – The question idea originated, the fact is that in the year 1557 a Welshman,
selection, a single volume of about 1,000 pages that weighs of why the universe’s billions of stars do not brighten the Robert Recorde, grew weary of writing “is equal to” over and
almost 10 pounds, is high on the list of the most impressive, night sky; Supply and Demand – The use of a combination over again in longhand, so with his pen he drew two short,
most extraordinary books I have ever been fortunate enough of mathematical and economic principles to predict trends; equal, horizontal parallel lines one above the other as a more
to discover, such an endorsement should mean something to Cell Theory – All living matter, from microorganisms to convenient symbol to express the same thought … and the rest
the readers of this column. mammals, is made up of cellular structures that interact through is history.
More importantly, the impressive physical size of this book electrical and chemical activity; Propaganda by Deed – The Most reviewers are reluctant to “go overboard” in their
is dwarfed by its remarkable content: a comprehensive guide promotion of a political agenda by using physical violence praise of the books they are discussing, but I am willing to
to the most interesting and imaginative thoughts from the against enemies; Impressionism in Art – Art designed to give admit that I am overwhelmed by the scope of this volume’s
finest minds in history, from ancient times to the present an impression of its subject, but not a realistic representation; content, and by the consistent ability of its editor and team
– covering the widest conceivable range of subject matter: art Telephone – A machine enabling people to talk directly to of writers to explain even the most complex ideas clearly,
and architecture, philosophy, politics and society, psychology, each other over long distances; Freudian Slip – Everyday interestingly and, yes, entertainingly.
religion, science and technology … arranged according to slips of the tongue provide insights into the workings of the If you are among those who still have a hunger for learning,
the era in which the ideas were conceived: Ancient World mind; Crowd Psychology – The creation of a branch of I am confident that this is a book you will treasure and refer
(1,600,000 B.C.E. to 500 C.E.), The Middle Ages (500 to social psychology focused on crowd behavior; Fascism – An to, time and time again, for years to come.
1449), Early Modern (1450 to 1779), Late Modern (1780 to authoritarian, totalitarian political ideology exalting national Note: The edition of this book I have reviewed is the latest,
1899), Early 20th Century (1900 to 1949) and Contemporary and/or racial identity; Special Relativity – A physical theory published in 2021. Two earlier editions were released in 2013
(1950 to present). of measurement that explains motion in the universe; Planned and 2018.
As staggering as is the wealth of information offered in the
pages of this single volume, it is remarkable how accessible
and easy it is for even the nontechnically oriented general
reader, such as myself, to clearly understand every entry, for
which credit must be given to the book’s general editor, Robert
Arp, and the 33 contributors – professors, Ph.D.s, historians
and experts in their respective fields – who clearly must have
devoted a combined years of research and excellent writing
skills to the completion of this project.
As Arp notes in his helpful introduction, “In the text for
each idea you will find a description of exactly what the
idea is; an account of its origin (who or where the idea came
from); a quotation that uses, or is about, the idea; and a
brief explanation of why the idea is important.”
Many of the entries are beautifully illustrated with
color vintage paintings and photographs, and there is a
comprehensive reference index listing of all entries.
Like so many of my other favorite books in my home
library, this is one that does not require reading in sequence,
from first page to last, but rather can be dipped into at any
page – enjoyed and learned from – and then turned to any
other page for another wonderful experience.
As a reviewer of such a book, I am faced with a mighty
dilemma: The space available in this review is barely enough
to even hint at the diversity to be found in its pages. To do it
justice would require three or four times the space set aside
for my column, so I have decided to simply offer here a small
sampling of entries from the various categories, selected
randomly by simply flipping through its pages.
Human Control of Fire – Harnessing fire in order to
use its properties as a practical tool; Anthropomorphism
– Attributing human characteristics to nonhuman entities;
Soul – The belief in a nonphysical entity with certain essential
characteristics; Symbols – A visual or material representation ~ Bathing, Dressing, Personal Care ~ Fall Risk Prevention
of a concept; Money – The use of currency to pay for goods ~ Medication Reminders, Doctor Visits ~ Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Care
and services; Gymnastics – The practice of exercising the body ~ Shopping, Errands, Companionship ~ Transition Home from Hospital or Rehab
to develop physical agility and coordination; Mathematics
– A symbolic representation of abstract numerical ideas; ~ Meal Preparation, Light Housekeeping ~ Hourly to 24-Hour Care
Literature – Communicating ideas, beliefs, and experiences ~ Pet Friendly ~ Rigorous Background Checks
through the written word; Inheritance – The transference of
a deceased person’s property to a new owner; Abortion – The
purposeful termination of a human pregnancy; Birth Control Respectful of Jewish Traditions.
– Controlling human fertility in order to prevent pregnancy;
Perspective – A technique of depicting three-dimensional
reality in two-dimensional space, providing the viewer of the
image with a sense of depth; Moral Absolutism – Moral and 561-328-7611
ethical principles are universal, and all actions are either right
or wrong; The Chicken and Egg Conundrum – The age- visitingangels.com/palmbeaches
old puzzle that if chickens come from eggs and vice versa, lic# 299994617