It could be otherwise : science in the age of uncertainty / Stuart Firestein.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Firestein, Stuart, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Science--Philosophy.

Science.

Ambiguity in science.

Uncertainty (Information theory).

Genre:

Popular works

Popular works.

Physical Description:

ix, 276 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Other Title:

Science in the age of uncertainty

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Basic Books, 2026.

Summary:

"The search for certainty is embedded deep in the mythos of science. Science is expected to provide definitive answers based on immutable and universal laws. It seeks to answer the question: If we do this, what must necessarily follow? In It Could Be Otherwise, however, biologist Stuart Firestein rejects this idea; science isn't about discerning what must be, but what is possible. The classic view of science, Firestein argues, reduces the world to bland predictability and us to mere automatons. Firestein's vision is its opposite: modern discoveries of deep uncertainty, even unknowability, in evolution, complexity, and physics show that our actions are not strictly governed--and that science is an agent of our freedom. In our contemporary age, suspicion of science and its certainties is deep. It Could Be Otherwise argues that science isn't about deciphering what the universe has already determined--instead, science offers possibilities. It invites us not to be prisoners of destiny, but helmsmen of our own fates"-- Provided by publisher.

"The search for certainty is embedded deep in the mythos of science. Science is expected to provide definitive answers based on immutable and universal laws. It seeks to answer the question: If we do this, what must necessarily follow? In It Could Be Otherwise, however, biologist Stuart Firestein rejects this idea; science isn't about discerning what must be, but what is possible. The classic view of science, Firestein argues, reduces the world to bland predictability and us to mere automatons. Firestein's vision is its opposite: modern discoveries of deep uncertainty, even unknowability, in evolution, complexity, and physics show that our actions not strictly governed-and that science is an agent of our freedom. In our contemporary age, suspicion of science and its certainties is deep. It Could Be Otherwise argues that science isn't about deciphering what the universe has already determined-instead, science offers possibilities. It invites us not to be prisoners of destiny, but helmsmen of our own fates"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

New

The cognitive revolution : a parts list

Making progress toward optimism

(Re)defining optimism ... and its place in science

F

- the enlightenment

Science evolves

The probability of optimism

Complexity and uncertainty

Uncertainty at work

Diffusion

A pluralistic path to optimistic uncertainty.

Introduction

New

The cognitive revolution: a parts list

(Re)defining optimism...and its place in science

- the Enlightenment

A pluralistic path to optimistic uncertainty

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Local Notes:

Athenaeum copy: Miller Fund bookplate.

ISBN:

9781541606739

1541606736

OCLC:

1559777000

Publisher Number:

CIPO000400019