Paradigm Shift

How Expert Opinions Keep Changing on Life, the Universe, and Everything

Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Science, Other Sciences, Philosophy & Social Aspects, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy
Cover of the book Paradigm Shift by Martin Cohen, Andrews UK
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Martin Cohen ISBN: 9781845408565
Publisher: Andrews UK Publication: September 9, 2015
Imprint: Imprint Academic Language: English
Author: Martin Cohen
ISBN: 9781845408565
Publisher: Andrews UK
Publication: September 9, 2015
Imprint: Imprint Academic
Language: English
Why do giraffes have long necks? It can't really be for reaching tasty leaves since their main food is ground level bushes, tidy though that explanation would be. And how does relativity theory cope with the fact that the observable universe defies prediction by being far too small and anything but homogeneous? By inventing a vastly larger, but invisible, universe. And what exactly should we make of the scientists who claim to be witnessing thought itself, when the changes of blood flow in the brain that they observe are a thousand times slower than the neuronal activity it is supposed to reveal? A little scepticism is in order.Yet if philosophers of science, from Thomas Kuhn to Paul Feyerabend, have argued that science is a more haphazard process, driven by political fashion and short-term economic self-interest, today almost everyone seems to assume it is a vast jigsaw of interlocking facts pieced slowly but steadily together by expert practitioners.In this witty but profound 21st-century update on the issues, Martin Cohen offers vital clues for understanding not only the way knowledge develops, but also into the dangers of accepting too readily or too uncritically the claims of experts of all kinds - even philosophical ones! The claims are invariably presented as objective fact, yet are rooted in human subjectivity.
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Why do giraffes have long necks? It can't really be for reaching tasty leaves since their main food is ground level bushes, tidy though that explanation would be. And how does relativity theory cope with the fact that the observable universe defies prediction by being far too small and anything but homogeneous? By inventing a vastly larger, but invisible, universe. And what exactly should we make of the scientists who claim to be witnessing thought itself, when the changes of blood flow in the brain that they observe are a thousand times slower than the neuronal activity it is supposed to reveal? A little scepticism is in order.Yet if philosophers of science, from Thomas Kuhn to Paul Feyerabend, have argued that science is a more haphazard process, driven by political fashion and short-term economic self-interest, today almost everyone seems to assume it is a vast jigsaw of interlocking facts pieced slowly but steadily together by expert practitioners.In this witty but profound 21st-century update on the issues, Martin Cohen offers vital clues for understanding not only the way knowledge develops, but also into the dangers of accepting too readily or too uncritically the claims of experts of all kinds - even philosophical ones! The claims are invariably presented as objective fact, yet are rooted in human subjectivity.

More books from Andrews UK

Cover of the book Aurelius And I by Martin Cohen
Cover of the book Dear Miss Landau by Martin Cohen
Cover of the book The Cotswolds Werewolf and other Stories of Sherlock Holmes by Martin Cohen
Cover of the book The Story of the Greeks by Martin Cohen
Cover of the book Ways of Knowing by Martin Cohen
Cover of the book Invisible Birthmarks by Martin Cohen
Cover of the book Pointless Conversations: What is Mr. Bean? by Martin Cohen
Cover of the book The Gunhen by Martin Cohen
Cover of the book Maths Problem Solving Year 5 by Martin Cohen
Cover of the book A Scientist in Wonderland by Martin Cohen
Cover of the book Ben Goes to the Dentist by Martin Cohen
Cover of the book The Loose Screw by Martin Cohen
Cover of the book The Amazing Pub Quiz Book Compendium by Martin Cohen
Cover of the book Poet by Martin Cohen
Cover of the book 100+ Fun Ideas for Science Investigations by Martin Cohen
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy