Synopses & Reviews
New insights from the science of science Facts change all the time. Smoking has gone from doctor recommended to deadly. We used to think the Earth was the center of the universe and that Pluto was a planet. For decades, we were convinced that the brontosaurus was a real dinosaur. In short, what we know about the world is constantly changing. But it turns out theres an order to the state of knowledge, an explanation for how we know what we know. Samuel Arbesman is an expert in the field of scientometricsliterally the science of science. Knowledge in most fields evolves systematically and predictably, and this evolution unfolds in a fascinating way that can have a powerful impact on our lives. Doctors with a rough idea of when their knowledge is likely to expire can be better equipped to keep up with the latest research. Companies and governments that understand how long new discoveries take to develop can improve decisions about allocating resources. And by tracing how and when language changes, each of us can better bridge generational gaps in slang and dialect. Just as we know that a chunk of uranium can break down in a measurable amount of timea radioactive half-lifeso too any given fields change in knowledge can be measured concretely. We can know when facts in aggregate are obsolete, the rate at which new facts are created, and even how facts spread. Arbesman takes us through a wide variety of fields, including those that change quickly, over the course of a few years, or over the span of centuries. He shows that much of what we know consists of mesofacts”facts that change at a middle timescale, often over a single human lifetime. Throughout, he offers intriguing examples about the face of knowledge: what English majors can learn from a statistical analysis of
The Canterbury Tales, why its so hard to measure a mountain, and why so many parents still tell kids to eat their spinach because its rich in iron.
The Half-life of Facts is a riveting journey into the counterintuitive fabric of knowledge. It can help us find new ways to measure the world while accepting the limits of how much we can know with certainty.
Review
"Delightfully nerdy."
—David A. Shaywitz, The Wall Street Journal
“The Half-Life of Facts is easily one of the best books of the year on science. It would be a lovely irony were it to prove one of the best books on politics, too.”
—Stephen L. Carter, Bloomberg
“Absorbing and approachable treatise on the nature of facts: what they are, how and why they change and how they sometimes dont (despite being wrong)…Facts matter. But when they change—as they seem today to do with alarming frequency, we begin to lose that control. In his debut, Arbesman…advises us not to worry: While we cant stop facts from changing, we can recognize that what we know ‘changes in understandable and systematic ways.… With this, he introduces ‘scientometrics, the science of science. With scientometrics, we can measure the exponential growth of facts, how long it will take, exponentially, for knowledge in any field to be disproved—say, 45 years for medical knowledge…like a good college professor, Arbesmans enthusiasm and humor maintains our interest in subjects many readers may not have encountered before…[The Half-Life of Facts] does what popular science should do—both engages and entertains.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“How many chromosomes do we have? How high is Mount Everest? Is spinach as good for you as Popeye thought—and what scientific blunder led him to think so in the first place? The Half-life of Facts is fun and fascinating, filled with wide-ranging stories and subtle insights about how facts are born, dance their dance, and die. In todays world, where knowledge often changes faster than we do, Samuel Arbesmans new book is essential reading.”
—Steven Strogatz, professor of mathematics, Cornell University, and author of The Joy of X
“What does it mean to live in a world drowning in facts? Consider The Half-life of Facts the new go-to book on the evolution of science and technology.”
—Tyler Cowen, professor of economics, George Mason University, and author of An Economist Gets Lunch
“The Half-life of Facts is a rollicking intellectual journey. Samuel Arbesman shares his extensive knowledge with infectious enthusiasm and entertaining prose. Even if the facts around us are ever changing, the lessons and fun in this book will have a very long half-life!”
—Michael J. Mauboussin, chief investment strategist, Legg Mason Capital Management, and author of The Success Equation
“The Half-life of Facts teaches you that it is possible, in fact, to drink from a firehose. Samuel Arbesman, an extremely creative scientist and storyteller, explores the paradox that knowledge is tentative in particularly consistent ways. In his capable hands, we learn about everything from how medieval manuscripts resemble genetic code to what bacteria and computer chips have in common. This book unravels the mystery of how we come to know the truth—and how long we can be certain about it.”
—Nicholas A. Christakis, MD, PhD, coauthor of Connected
“Facts fall apart, some famously so. Brontosaurus is not a real dinosaur species; Pluto is not a planet. When you look at them en masse, patterns emerge: Facts die, and are born, at specific, predictable rates. These rates are the subject of applied mathematician Samuel Arbesmans engaging, insightful jaunt across the backstage of scientific knowledge. Packed with interesting tidbits—for instance, more than a third of mammals thought to have gone extinct in the last 500 years have since reappeared—the book explains how facts spread and change over time. It also explores how todays data-soaked reality has yielded high-throughput, automated ways to produce new truths, like algorithms that discover connections between genes and disease.”
—Veronique Greenwood, Discover magazine
“Knowledge shifts over time, explains Sam Arbesman in The Half-Life of Facts, and it does so in predictable ways. The book takes us on a whirlwind tour of emerging fields of scientometrics, and undertakes a broader exploration of metaknowledge. Arbesman details how researchers beginning to focus the big-data lens back on science itself are uncovering quantitative laws and regularities in the way that scientific knowledge is constructed and modified over time….Arbesman is a delightful guide to the territory, patently in love with this emerging field. He is also a skilled storyteller, and his wide-eyed reporting invigorates material that could have been dry and academic.”
—Carl Bergstrom, Nature magazine
Review
"Delightfully nerdy."
—David A. Shaywitz, The Wall Street Journal
“The Half-Life of Facts is easily one of the best books of the year on science. It would be a lovely irony were it to prove one of the best books on politics, too.”
—Stephen L. Carter, Bloomberg
“Absorbing and approachable treatise on the nature of facts: what they are, how and why they change and how they sometimes dont (despite being wrong)…Facts matter. But when they change—as they seem today to do with alarming frequency, we begin to lose that control. In his debut, Arbesman…advises us not to worry: While we cant stop facts from changing, we can recognize that what we know ‘changes in understandable and systematic ways.… With this, he introduces ‘scientometrics, the science of science. With scientometrics, we can measure the exponential growth of facts, how long it will take, exponentially, for knowledge in any field to be disproved—say, 45 years for medical knowledge…like a good college professor, Arbesmans enthusiasm and humor maintains our interest in subjects many readers may not have encountered before…[The Half-Life of Facts] does what popular science should do—both engages and entertains.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“How many chromosomes do we have? How high is Mount Everest? Is spinach as good for you as Popeye thought—and what scientific blunder led him to think so in the first place? The Half-life of Facts is fun and fascinating, filled with wide-ranging stories and subtle insights about how facts are born, dance their dance, and die. In todays world, where knowledge often changes faster than we do, Samuel Arbesmans new book is essential reading.”
—Steven Strogatz, professor of mathematics, Cornell University, and author of The Joy of X
“What does it mean to live in a world drowning in facts? Consider The Half-life of Facts the new go-to book on the evolution of science and technology.”
—Tyler Cowen, professor of economics, George Mason University, and author of An Economist Gets Lunch
“The Half-life of Facts is a rollicking intellectual journey. Samuel Arbesman shares his extensive knowledge with infectious enthusiasm and entertaining prose. Even if the facts around us are ever changing, the lessons and fun in this book will have a very long half-life!”
—Michael J. Mauboussin, chief investment strategist, Legg Mason Capital Management, and author of The Success Equation
“The Half-life of Facts teaches you that it is possible, in fact, to drink from a firehose. Samuel Arbesman, an extremely creative scientist and storyteller, explores the paradox that knowledge is tentative in particularly consistent ways. In his capable hands, we learn about everything from how medieval manuscripts resemble genetic code to what bacteria and computer chips have in common. This book unravels the mystery of how we come to know the truth—and how long we can be certain about it.”
—Nicholas A. Christakis, MD, PhD, coauthor of Connected
“Facts fall apart, some famously so. Brontosaurus is not a real dinosaur species; Pluto is not a planet. When you look at them en masse, patterns emerge: Facts die, and are born, at specific, predictable rates. These rates are the subject of applied mathematician Samuel Arbesmans engaging, insightful jaunt across the backstage of scientific knowledge. Packed with interesting tidbits—for instance, more than a third of mammals thought to have gone extinct in the last 500 years have since reappeared—the book explains how facts spread and change over time. It also explores how todays data-soaked reality has yielded high-throughput, automated ways to produce new truths, like algorithms that discover connections between genes and disease.”
—Veronique Greenwood, Discover magazine
“Knowledge shifts over time, explains Sam Arbesman in The Half-Life of Facts, and it does so in predictable ways. The book takes us on a whirlwind tour of emerging fields of scientometrics, and undertakes a broader exploration of metaknowledge. Arbesman details how researchers beginning to focus the big-data lens back on science itself are uncovering quantitative laws and regularities in the way that scientific knowledge is constructed and modified over time….Arbesman is a delightful guide to the territory, patently in love with this emerging field. He is also a skilled storyteller, and his wide-eyed reporting invigorates material that could have been dry and academic.”
—Carl Bergstrom, Nature magazine
Review
and#8220;The Half-Life of Facts is easily one of the best books of the year on science.and#8221;
and#8212;Bloomberg
and#160;
and#8220;Delightfully nerdy.and#8221;
and#8212;The Wall Street Journal
"Absorbing and approachable treatise on the nature of facts: what they are, how and why they change and how they sometimes donand#8217;t (despite being wrong)and#8230;Facts matter. But when they changeand#8212;as they seem today to do with alarming frequency, we begin to lose that control. In his debut, Arbesmanand#8230;advises us not to worry: While we canand#8217;t stop facts from changing, we can recognize that what we know and#8220;changes in understandable and systematic ways.and#8221;and#8230; With this, he introducesand#160;and#8220;scientometrics,and#8221; the science of science. With scientometrics, we can measure the exponential growth of facts, how long it will take, exponentially, for knowledge in any field to be disprovedand#8212;say, 45 years for medical knowledgeand#8230;like a good college professor, Arbesmanand#8217;s enthusiasm and humor maintains our interest in subjects many readers may not have encountered beforeand#8230;[The Half-Life of Facts] does what popular science should doand#8212;both engages and entertains."
and#8212;Kirkus Reviews
and#8220;How many chromosomes do we have? How high is Mount Everest? Is spinach as good for you as Popeye thoughtand#8212;and what scientific blunder led him to think so in the first place?The Half-life of Factsand#160;is fun and fascinating, filled with wide-ranging stories and subtle insights about how facts are born, dance their dance, and die. In todayand#8217;s world, where knowledge often changes faster than we do, Samuel Arbesmanand#8217;s new book is essential reading.and#8221;
and#8212;Steven Strogatz, professor of mathematics, Cornell University, and author ofand#160;The Joy of X
and#160;
and#8220;What does it mean to live in a world drowning in facts? Considerand#160;The Half-life of Factsand#160;the new go-to book on the evolution of science and technology.and#8221;
and#8212;Tyler Cowen, professor of economics, George Mason University, and author ofand#160;An Economist Gets Lunch
and#160;
and#8220;The Half-life of Factsand#160;is a rollicking intellectual journey. Samuel Arbesman shares his extensive knowledge with infectious enthusiasm and entertaining prose. Even if the facts around us are ever changing, the lessons and fun in this book will have a very long half-life!and#8221;
and#8212;Michael J. Mauboussin, chief investment strategist, Legg Mason Capital Management, and author ofand#160;The Success Equation
and#160;
and#8220;The Half-life of Factsand#160;teaches you that it is possible, in fact, to drink from a fireand#173;hose. Samuel Arbesman, an extremely creative scientist and storyteller, explores the paradox that knowledge is tentative in particularly consistent ways. In his caand#173;pable hands, we learn about everything from how medieval manuscripts resemble genetic code to what bacteria and computer chips have in common. This book unand#173;ravels the mystery of how we come to know the truthand#8212;and how long we can be certain about it.and#8221;
and#8212;Nicholas A. Christakis, MD, PhD, coauthor of Connected
"Facts fall apart, some famously so. Brontosaurus is not a real dinosaur species; Pluto is not a planet. When you look at them en masse, patterns emerge: Facts die, and are born, at specific, predictable rates. These rates are the subject of applied mathematician Samuel Arbesmanand#8217;s engaging, insightful jaunt across the backstage of scientific knowledge. Packed with interesting tidbitsand#8212;for instance, more than a third of mammals thought to have gone extinct in the last 500 years have since reappearedand#8212;the book explains how facts spread and change over time. It also explores how todayand#8217;s data-soaked reality has yielded high-throughput, automated ways to produce new truths, like algorithms that discover connections between genes and disease."
and#8212;Veronique Greenwood,and#160;Discoverand#160;magazine
"Knowledge shifts over time, explains Sam Arbesman inand#160;The Half-Life of Facts, and it does so in predictable ways. The book takes us on a whirlwind tour of emerging fields of scientometrics, and undertakes a broader exploration of metaknowledge. Arbesman details how researchers beginning to focus the big-data lens back on science itself are uncovering quantitative laws and regulariand#173;ties in the way that scientific knowledge is constructed and modified over timeand#8230;.Arbesman is a delightand#173;ful guide to the territory, patently in love with this emerging field. He is also a skilled storyteller, and his wide-eyed reporting invigorates material that could have been dry and academic."
and#8212;Carl Bergstrom,and#160;Natureand#160;magazine
Synopsis
New insights from the science of science Facts change all the time. Smoking has gone from doctor recommended to deadly. We used to think the Earth was the center of the universe and that Pluto was a planet. For decades, we were convinced that the brontosaurus was a real dinosaur. In short, what we know about the world is constantly changing. But it turns out theres an order to the state of knowledge, an explanation for how we know what we know. Samuel Arbesman is an expert in the field of scientometricsliterally the science of science. Knowledge in most fields evolves systematically and predictably, and this evolution unfolds in a fascinating way that can have a powerful impact on our lives. Doctors with a rough idea of when their knowledge is likely to expire can be better equipped to keep up with the latest research. Companies and governments that understand how long new discoveries take to develop can improve decisions about allocating resources. And by tracing how and when language changes, each of us can better bridge generational gaps in slang and dialect. Just as we know that a chunk of uranium can break down in a measurable amount of timea radioactive half-lifeso too any given fields change in knowledge can be measured concretely. We can know when facts in aggregate are obsolete, the rate at which new facts are created, and even how facts spread. Arbesman takes us through a wide variety of fields, including those that change quickly, over the course of a few years, or over the span of centuries. He shows that much of what we know consists of mesofacts”facts that change at a middle timescale, often over a single human lifetime. Throughout, he offers intriguing examples about the face of knowledge: what English majors can learn from a statistical analysis of
The Canterbury Tales, why its so hard to measure a mountain, and why so many parents still tell kids to eat their spinach because its rich in iron.
The Half-life of Facts is a riveting journey into the counterintuitive fabric of knowledge. It can help us find new ways to measure the world while accepting the limits of how much we can know with certainty.
Synopsis
New insights from the science of science and#160;
Facts change all the time. Smoking has gone from doctor recommended to deadly. We used to think the Earth was the center of the universe and that the brontosaurus was a real dinosaur. In short, what we know about the world is constantly changing.
and#160;
Samuel Arbesman shows us how knowledge in most fields evolves systematically and predictably, and how this evolution unfolds in a fascinating way that can have a powerful impact on our lives.
and#160;
He takes us through a wide variety of fields, including those that change quickly, over the course of a few years, or over the span of centuries.
About the Author
Samuel Arbesman is an applied mathematician and network scientist. He is a Senior Scholar at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and a fellow at the Institute for Quantitative Social Science at Harvard University. His writing has appeared in the
New York Times, the
Atlantic, Wired, New Scientist and the
Boston Globe. He lives in Kansas City.
and#160;
Visit www.arbesman.net