4.0 out of 5 stars
Filled with a lively bitterness, July 22, 2010
This review is from: Science and the Retreat from Reason (Paperback)
I found this book in the library a few weeks ago, and was intrigued by the title. It wasn't quite what I expected, but a good read nonetheless. The authors accuse three theories/methodologies used in contemporary science as being unreasonable or applied poorly. Quantum mechanics seems like an odd subject to attack, given its successes, but their critique of it rests mainly on the Copenhagen interpretation. For being argumentative in nature, Gillott and Kumar write a good overview of the many opposing views on the philosophical issues at stake.
Their critiques of chaos and complexity theories are interesting mainly for historical reasons. It seems that both theories are past the peak of their popularity.
The final sections of the book deals with the divorce of science and social progress. We've come a long way it seems.
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