Life is Simple: How Occam's Razor Set Science Free And Unlocked the Universe
Sep 2021 · Hachette UK
5.0star
1 reviewreport
Ebook
384
Pages
family_home
Eligible
info
reportRatings and reviews aren’t verified Learn More
About this ebook
'The most sheerly enjoyable history of science of recent years' The Spectator
'This is one of the best science books I have read in a decade' Paul Davies
Life is Simple tells the remarkable story of how a thirteenth century monk's search for simplicity led to the emergence of the modern world.
We begin in the turbulent times of the medieval friar, William of Occam, who first articulated the principle that the best answer to any problem is the simplest. This theory, known as Occam's razor, cut through the thickets of medieval metaphysics to clear a path for modern science. We follow the razor in the hands of the giants of science, from Copernicus, to Kepler, Galileo, Newton, Darwin, Einstein, Rubin and Higgs. Its success suggests that we live in the simplest possible habitable universe and supports the revolutionary theory that our cosmos has evolved.
By highlighting the very human passion, curiosity, mistakes and struggles of those who were inspired by Occam's razor to create the modern world, Johnjoe McFadden provides new insight into what science is really about. And that the principle of simplicity is as relevant today as ever.
'This is one of the best science books I have read in a decade' Paul Davies
Life is Simple tells the remarkable story of how a thirteenth century monk's search for simplicity led to the emergence of the modern world.
We begin in the turbulent times of the medieval friar, William of Occam, who first articulated the principle that the best answer to any problem is the simplest. This theory, known as Occam's razor, cut through the thickets of medieval metaphysics to clear a path for modern science. We follow the razor in the hands of the giants of science, from Copernicus, to Kepler, Galileo, Newton, Darwin, Einstein, Rubin and Higgs. Its success suggests that we live in the simplest possible habitable universe and supports the revolutionary theory that our cosmos has evolved.
By highlighting the very human passion, curiosity, mistakes and struggles of those who were inspired by Occam's razor to create the modern world, Johnjoe McFadden provides new insight into what science is really about. And that the principle of simplicity is as relevant today as ever.
Ratings and reviews
5.0
1 review
About the author
JohnJoe McFadden is Professor of Molecular Genetics at the University of Surrey. He has published over 100 academic journal articles and has written extensively for a more popular audience in the Guardian, Washington Post and Frankfurter Allgemeine. He has also published a number of popular science books, most recently Life on the Edge with Jim Al-Khalili (Black Swan 2014).
Rate this ebook
Tell us what you think.
Reading information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.
