Exploring how we know what causes what —and where our reasoning can go wrong.
This book argues that predicting future events requires experience, not just clever thinking, and it questions long-held beliefs about physical law.
In clear, accessible prose, it examines common errors in reasoning about cause and effect, from everyday language to grand scientific claims. It challenges the idea that we can discover universal laws without looking at real-world observations, and it critiques overconfident ties between simple patterns and broad generalizations. Throughout, the focus stays practical: what we can know, how we come to believe it, and why experience matters for reliable prediction.
- Learn how language and quick analysis can mislead us into seeing connections that aren’t there
- Understand why prediction rests on past experience and careful observation, not on pure reasoning
- See how intuition, perception, and reason work together to form beliefs about future events
- Discover why attempts to extract universal forms from nature often fall short
Ideal for readers of philosophy of science and critical thinking who want a grounded view of how cause and effect really works.