Paradigms Lost: Images of Man in the Mirror of Science [Hardcover]

John L. Casti (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0688081312 | ISBN-13: 978-0688081317 | Publication Date: June 1989 | Edition: 1st

Intended for both the layman and the scientist, this book presents an overview of some of today's great scientific questions, from the way in which we acquire language and the fundamental nature of our thinking processes, to the possible existence of life elsewhere in the universe. Each chapter is constructed in the form of a trial, with the conventional scientific wisdom presented by the "prosecution" and alternative views put forward by the "defence". The author, who aims to be both informative and entertaining, subsequently steps in to act as "juror", offering explanations of his verdicts.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Casti draws the reader into current scientific controversies as he weighs the pros and cons of puzzling questions: Did life on earth arise from a "primordial organic soup"? Can a machine ever duplicate human cognitive processes? How do children acquire the ability to speak their native language? Is there validity to sociobiologists' claims that human behavior patterns are genetically determined? Quantum physics, artificial intelligence and astronomers' search for intelligent life in the universe are among the topics explored in an engaging, elegant, personal fashion. Casti, author of Alternate Realities , spotlights the role of passion and politics in scientific debate. However, he highhandedly dismisses research into UFOs, Bigfoot (yeti) and "even more offbeat phenomena" as the work of pseudoscientific cranks, thus himself mirroring the attitudes of scientists whose blinkered viewpoints on other topics he so deftly exposes. BOMC and QPBC alternates.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Casti, a mathematician who also wrote Alternate Realities (Wiley, 1988), takes us on a tour of the philosophy of science and the great questions that elicit heated debates from working scientists. Some of the questions: How did life begin? Can machines really think? Is social behavior genetically determined? Is there other intelligent life in the universe? In each case, Casti marshals the arguments for and against the major positions as if they were "on trial" in a court. Finally, he produces his verdict, with which you may agree or disagree. Unfortunately, the author assumes a little too much knowledge of science and philosophy on the part of the reader, so some sections are rather obscure, and the educated layperson will have difficulty in weighing the arguments.
- Harold D. Shane, Baruch Coll . , CUNY
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 565 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow & Co; 1st edition (June 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688081312
• ISBN-13: 978-0688081317
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #370,006 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An involved scientific book written for laymen, September 17, 2008

By 

Georgie Cavitt "an avid book reader" (Evans City, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Paradigms Lost: Images of Man in the Mirror of Science (Hardcover)

Paradigms Lost: Images of Man in the Mirror of Science This incredible book presents a masterful, easy-to-grasp overview of science's answers to the great questions as we understand them today. The heart of this book consists of six chapters, each devoted to a case study of one of the major mysteries of modern science: the origin of life on our planet Earth, the real sources of human behavior and social patterns, how we acquire language, the fundamental nature of our thinking processes, the possible existence of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe, the impact of our own scrutiny on what we observe as real. This book gives a complete and readable account of the competing positions in the important debate in progress on each one of these issues. But the grand unifying theme of these chapters is to ask what, if anything, is unique about us human beings. Each chapter is structurd in the form of a jury trial. The conventional scientific wisdom on each topic is presented by the Prosecution. The alternative views on the question are then presented by the Defense. After the summary arguments, author Casti steps in to act as a juror, casting his ballot for one side or the other and offering an explanation of how he voted. The author intends that his readers also serve on the jury by deciding for themselves on these questions. This book is really aimed at showing that it is possible to share the knowledge of the experts by means of a clear distillation of their deepest and most important arguments. Finally, the book demonstrats that the reader can participate in science's exciting quest for ever more refined knowledge of where the species Homo sapiens stands within the cosmic order as we perceive it today. While this book takes a very differnet tack to other books on this subject, I think it made it easier to understand scientific processes and in regular laymen's language & thinking processes. Some of the above was taken from the cover in lieu of any other review. This book takes us to the edge, where science becomes philosophical and philosophy is becoming science!