Science in the Looking Glass: What Do Scientists Really Know?

In This Wide-ranging Book, Brian Davies Discusses The Basis For Scientists' Claims To Knowledge About The World. He Looks At Science Historically, Emphasizing Not Only The Achievements Of Scientists From Galileo Onwards, But Also Their Mistakes. He Rejects The Claim That All Scientific Knowledge Is Provisional, By Citing Examples From Chemistry, Biology And Geology. A Major Feature Of The Book Is Its Defence Of The View That Mathematics Was Invented Rather Than Discovered. While Experience Has Shown That Disentangling Scientific Knowledge From Opinion And Aspiration Is A Hard Task, This Book Provides A Clear Guide To The Difficulties.--jacket. Perception And Language -- Theories Of The Mind -- Arithmetic -- How Hard Can Problems Get? -- Pure Mathematics -- Mechanics And Astronomy -- Probability And Quantum Theory -- Is Evolution A Theory? -- Against Reductionism -- Some Final Thoughts. E. Brian Davies. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [279]-287) And Index.