Synopses & Reviews
Early theorists believed that in science lay the promise of certainty. Built on a foundation of fact and constructed with objective and trustworthy tools, science produced knowledge. But science has also shown us that this knowledge will always be fundamentally incomplete and that a true understanding of the world is ultimately beyond our grasp.
In this thoughtful and compelling book, physicist F. David Peat examines the basic philosophic difference between the certainty that characterized the thinking of humankind through the nineteenth century and contrasts it with the startling fall of certainty in the twentieth. The nineteenth century was marked by a boundless optimism and confidence in the power of progress and technology. Science and philosophy were on firm ground. Newtonian physics showed that the universe was a gigantic clockwork mechanism that functioned according to rigid lawsthat its course could be predicted with total confidence far into the future. Indeed, in 1900, the President of the Royal Society in Britain went so far as to proclaim that everything of importance had already been discovered by science.
But it was not long before the seeds of a scientific revolution began to take root. Quantum Theory and the General Theory of Relativity exploded the clockwork universe, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that our knowledge was, at best, incompleteand would probably remain that way forever. There were places in the universe, such as black holes, from which no information at all could ever be obtained. Chaos Theory also demonstrated our inherent limits to knowing, predicting, and controlling the world around us and showed the way that chaos can often be found at the heart of natural and social systems.
Although we may not always recognize it, this new world view has had a profound effect not only on science, but on art, literature, philosophy, and societal relations. The twenty-first century now begins with a humble acceptance of uncertainty.
From Certainty to Uncertainty traces the rise and fall of the deterministic universe and shows the evolving influences that such disparate disciplines now have on one another. Drawing on the lessons we can learn from history, Peat also speculates on how we will manage our lives into the future.
Review
"Impressively wide-ranging study ... immensely thought-provoking book." New Scientist
Review
"This well written and easily read book is intended for a general audienceone that might be interested in contemporary science and some of its implications for social life." Physics World
Review
"Peat, one of science's more colourful historians, chronicles the shift [from certainty to uncertainty] with his usual creativity, drawing parallels between quantum physics, art and philosophy that will surprise many. It's good to see aliterallydifferent perspective." Focus
Review
"Peat has masterfully shown how the certainty of the 19th century ... clashed in combat with the new uncertainty personified by Albert Einstein. ... Anyone interested in the demise of the dominance of science in people's minds and how it will affect our futures should read this well-written book." Science Books & Films
Review
"...a remarkably lucid exposition of the advancement of science in the 20th century. ... an inspiring survey of the most spectacular scientific, technical and artistic ideas of the 20th century; Peat is exceptionally effective when it comes to a graspable presentation of the most sophisticated theoretical accomplishments in science, like Gödel's theorem or Chaos Theory. Advanced readers will surely enjoy the exuberant style of the book and will be stimulated to share the author's concern for the commencing millennium. ...From Certainty to Uncertainty is a book full of philosophical wisdom. ... An admirable companion to reconsiderat the beginning of the 21st centurythe most noteworthy ideas of the preceding one." Metapsychology Online Review
Review
"Through wonderfully concise, clear metaphors, physicist Peat traces the philosophy of science from the 19th through the 20th centuries..." Publishers Weekly
Review
"We liked this book because it ranged so far and wide. ... This book which, believe it or not, is reader-friendly even to the scientifically challenged, should go on every bookshelf. We have moved our own copy from the Teetering Pile to the Keeper Shelf." Ann LeFarge, Constant Reader
Review
"F. David Peat takes us on a wide-ranging, intellectual journey through the major scientific ideas of the 20th century, from physics and complexity to psychology and ecology. It's a grand, exhilarating tour of the post-modern world." Marcia Bartusiak, author of Einstein's Unfinished Symphony
Review
"Lucid, engaging, provocative... simply brilliant. Peat delivers a fascinating take on why uncertainty in quantum physics intimately affects every aspect of our lives and thoughts. This timely book should be required reading for anybody who cares about where we all go from here." James Burke, author of Circles: Fifty Round-Trips Through History, Technology, Science, Culture
Review
"The journey from certainty to uncertainty is not confined to a scientific tale. It is the story of how human thought has changed in every aspect so that we now live in an age where the only certainty is uncertainty. By making his story an intimate one and absorbing the reader with the very human nature of intellectual revolution, David Peat has done a wonderful job of illustrating how our vision of the universe has changed so radically, so quickly." Michael White, author of The Pope and the Heretic and Leonardo: The First Scientist
Review
"An important synthesis. ... Essential background for any serious futurist or policy analyst." Future Survey
Synopsis
A comparison of the scientific philosophies of the 19th and 20th centuriesor the path from certainty and faith in progress to uncertainty and relativism.