To understand modern science, it is essential to recognize that many of the most fundamental scientific principles are drawn from the knowledge of ancient civilizations. Taking a global yet comprehensive approach to this complex topic, A History of Science in World Cultures uses a broad range of case studies and examples to demonstrate that the scientific thought and method of the present day is deeply rooted in a pluricultural past. Covering ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, India, Greece, China, Islam, and the New World, this volume discusses the scope of scientific and technological achievements in each civilization and how the knowledge it developed came to impact the European Renaissance. Themes covered include the influence these scientific cultures had upon one another, the power of writing and its technologies, visions of mathematical order in the universe and how it can be represented, and what elements of the distant scientific past we continue to depend upon today. Topics often left unexamined in histories of science are treated in fascinating detail, such as the chemistry of mummification and the Great Library in Alexandria in Egypt, jewellery and urban planning of the Indus Valley, hydraulic engineering and the compass in China, the sustainable agriculture and dental surgery of the Mayas, and algebra and optics in Islam. This book shows that scientific thought has never been confined to any one era, culture, or geographic region. Clearly presented and highly illustrated, A History of Science in World Cultures is the perfect text for all students and others interested in the development of science throughout history.

This volume is part of the “Worldviews, Science and Us” series of proceedings and contains several contributions on the subject of worlds, cultures and society. It represents the proceedings of several workshops and discussion panels organized by the Leo Apostel Center for Interdisciplinary studies within the framework of the “Research on the Construction of Integrating Worldviews” research community set up by the Flanders Fund for Scientific Research, over the period of time between 2005 to 2010. Further information about this research community and a full list of the associated international research centers can be found at www.vub.ac.be/CLEA/res/worldviews/

Informal empire is a key mechanism of control that explains much of the configuration of the modern world. This book traces the broad outline of westernization through elite formations around the world in the modern era. It explains why the world is western and how formal empire describes only the tip of the iceberg of British and American power.

The meeting of Christianity and the non-Christian religions, the impact of East on West, and West on East, the clash of cultures and the movement of divine and human forces that are changing the pattern of man's life, form the basis of Kraemer's magisterial book. He deals historically with the world situation as he sees it because history determines the mood in which East and West approach this 'coming dialogue'. In a series of masterly chapters Kraemer surveys the position of the world's religions deeply enmeshed in socio-cultural systems that create both barriers to change but impetus towards evolution. The dialogue with the 'grand, elusive, Eastern systems of humanist thinking' demands searching thought, fundamental re-adjustment of methods and readiness to find fresh points of contact. It will, however, vindicate the personal conception of the living God as manifest in Jesus Christ. The 'key word of Oriental philosophies is Harmony, glossing over the glaring disharmonies of man's life.' This is, the heart of the dialogue that Kraemer discusses backed by his vast experience and learning. Kraemer provides a formative and fundamental tool for Christians and all who are aspire to an intelligent and penetrative understanding of the religious and cultural life of the world.

Features information on studying at Postgraduate level in the UK, what is involved, what opportunities there are, lists details £75 million of funding available to Postgraduate students.

Islam in World Cultures analyzes differences in Islamic culture and practice by looking not simply at matters of doctrine, but also at how Islam interacts with local cultures. Contemporary treatments of Islam focus on the Middle East; they treat the beliefs and people of that region as representing all of Islam. At most they emphasize the differences between Muslim groups—Sunni vs. Shia, for instance—while overlooking the even greater differences that result from region-specific cultural and political pressures. Islam in World Cultures gathers the work of ten eminent scholars, each of whom has expertise in the Muslim culture of a particular country or geographical area. Individual chapters explore contemporary developments in the Islamic experience in Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, Central Asia, China, Indonesia, South Africa, Ethiopia, and the United States. This broad treatment provides an introduction to the full range of issues relating to Islam in the context of globalization.