In The Borderlands of Science Michael Shermer takes us to the place where real science (such as the big bang theory), borderland science (superstring theory), and just plain nonsense (Big Foot) collide with one another. An excursion through the borderlands of science, history, and historical biography, enlivened by the many interesting stories and insights involving many of history's most famous scientists.
By:
Michael Shermer ( Editor-in-Cheief Skeptic Magazine)
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 234mm,
Width: 155mm,
Spine: 23mm
Weight: 513g
ISBN: 9780195157987
ISBN 10: 0195157982
Pages: 320
Publication Date: 01 July 2003
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Professional and scholarly
,
Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
,
A / AS level
,
Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Introduction Part I: Borderlands Theories 1: The Knowledge Filter 2: Theories of Everything 3: Only God Can Do That? 4: Blood, Sweat, and Fears 5: Paradigms and Paradoxes Part II: Borderlands People 6: The Day the Earth Moved 7: Heretic-Personality 8: A Scientist Among the Spiritualists 9: Pedestals and Statues 10: The Exquisite Balance Part III: Borderlands History 11: The Beautiful People Myth 12: The Amadeus Myth 13: A Gentlemanly Arrangement 14: The Great Bone Hoax Bibliography Index
Reviews for The Borderlands of Science: Where Sense Meets Nonsense
Quick-witted, shrewd, open-minded--these barely describe Michael Shermer's latest confection of intriguing stories, arguments, and insightful observations. His cruise through the shadowlands of science makes a fascinating expedition of the mind. --Gregory Benford, author of Deep Time<br> Whether the issue is alternative medicine or environmental threats, cloning or race, cosmology or hypnosis, Shermer keeps his focus on the central question: Where do we draw the line between solid science, pseudoscience, and the untamed territory in between? This is a detailed, multi-faceted exploration of these ever-shifting borderlands, as well as the fascinating people who populate them. --K.C. Cole, author of The Hole in the Universe: How Scientists Peered Over the Edge of Emptiness and Found Everything<br>