The Comprehensibility of the Universe by Nicholas Maxwell

Skip to product information
1 of 1

The Comprehensibility of the Universe by Nicholas Maxwell

Regular price $71.00
Condition - New
40+ In stock
Regular price $71.00
Condition - New
40+ In stock

Free shipping in 5-10 business days on orders over $15

Summary

'The Comprehensibility of the Universe' puts forward a radically new conception of science. Nicholas Maxwell argues that the prevailing view of the relation between scientific theory and evidence is untenable; he calls for a new orthodoxy which sees science as making a hierarchy of assumptions about the comprehensibility of the universe.

The feel-good place to buy books
  • Free shipping in the US over $15
  • Supporting authors with AuthorSHARE
  • 100% recyclable packaging
  • Proud to be a B Corp – A Business for good
  • Sell-back with World of Books - Sell your Books

The Comprehensibility of the Universe by Nicholas Maxwell

The Comprehensibility of the Universe puts forward a radically new conception of science. At present scientific enquiry is shaped by the orthodox view that in accepting or rejecting theories scientists are impartial with respect to evidence and make no permanent assumptions about the world independently of the evidence. Nicholas Maxwell argues that this view is untenable, and that we need a new orthodoxy, which sees science as making a hierarchy of increasingly attenuated metaphysical assumptions about the comprehensibility and knowability of the universe. This new conception has significant implications, as Maxwell explains. One is that it is part of current scientific knowledge that the universe is comprehensible, even physically comprehensible. A second is that metaphysics and philosophy are central to scientific knowledge. A third is that science possesses a rational, though fallible, method of discovery. A fourth is that we need a new understanding of scientific method and rationality. Maxwell points the way towards the solution, within his new conception, of long-standing philosophical problems about science, concerning simplicity, induction, and progress. His goal is the reform not just of the philosophy of science but of science itself, and the healing of the rift between the two.
This is not a book to read quickly or easily, but I hope that many may make the effort, because it seems to me to be an important contribution to the philosophy of physics* British Journal for the Philosophy of Science *
Maxwell performs a heroic feat in making the physics accessible to the non-physicist ... Philosophically, there is much here to stimulate and provoke ... those who share Maxwell's intuitions about progress, even those uncommitted to "theories of everything", will find encouragement here for thinking about how one does justice to such a possibility. * Anjan Chakravartty, THES *
This admirably ambitious book contains more thought-provoking material than can even be mentioned here. Maxwell's treatment of the descriptive problem of simplicity, and his novel proposals about quantum mechanics deserve special note. * The Philosophical Review *
Nicholas Maxwell is Emeritus Reader in Philosophy of Science at the University of London.
SKU NIN9780198237761
ISBN 13 9780198237761
ISBN 10 0198237766
Title The Comprehensibility of the Universe
Author Nicholas Maxwell
Condition New
Publisher Oxford University Press
Year published 1998-10-15
Number of pages 332
Cover note Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note This is a new book - be the first to read this copy. With untouched pages and a perfect binding, your brand new copy is ready to be opened for the first time