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Bellah, Robert Neelly

(Encyclopedia)Bellah, Robert Neelly bĕlˈə [key],1927–2013, American sociologist and educator. He was educated at Harvard (Ph.D., 1955) and taught there before becoming Elliot professor of sociology at the Univ...

herbal

(Encyclopedia)herbal, early botanical book containing descriptions and illustrations of herbs and plants with their properties, chiefly those qualities that made them useful as medicines or condiments. Most of the ...

Bergson, Henri

(Encyclopedia)Bergson, Henri äNrēˈ bĕrgsôNˈ [key], 1859–1941, French philosopher. He became a professor at the Collège de France in 1900, devoted some time to politics, and, after World War I, took an inte...

robot

(Encyclopedia)robot or automaton ôtämˈətänˌ [key] mechanical device designed to perform the work generally done by a human being. The Czech dramatist Karel Čapek popularized the expression [Czech,=compulsory...

Greenberg, Joseph Harold

(Encyclopedia)Greenberg, Joseph Harold, 1915–2001, American anthropological linguist, b. New York City, grad. Columbia (A.B., 1936) and Northwestern Univ. (Ph.D., 1940). He was a professor of anthropology at Colu...

Volunteers of America

(Encyclopedia)Volunteers of America, national nondenominational organization providing a wide variety of human services as part of a Christian ministry of service. Founded (1896) by Ballington and Maud Booth (see B...

Swammerdam, Jan

(Encyclopedia)Swammerdam, Jan yän väˈmərdäm [key], 1637–80, Dutch naturalist. He was a pioneer in the use of the microscope. Before he turned to religious contemplation his chief interest was the study of in...

Hong Kong, University of

(Encyclopedia)Hong Kong, University of, at Hong Kong, China; founded 1912. There are undergraduate faculties of architecture, liberal arts, business and economics, dentistry, education, engineering, law, medicine, ...

custom

(Encyclopedia)custom, habitual group pattern of behavior that is transmitted from one generation to another and is not biologically determined. Since societies are perpetually changing, no matter how slowly, all cu...

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