Reliable Knowledge: An Exploration of the Grounds for Belief in Science (Canto original series) - Softcover

Ziman, John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0521406706 ISBN 13: 9780521406703

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2008

Synopsis

Why believe in the findings of science? John Ziman argues that scientific knowledge is not uniformly reliable, but rather like a map representing a country we cannot visit. He shows how science has many elements, including alongside its experiments and formulae the language and logic, patterns and preconceptions, facts and fantasies used to illustrate and express its findings. These elements are variously combined by scientists in their explanations of the material world as it lies outside our everyday experience. John Ziman's book offers at once a valuably clear account and a radically challenging investigation of the credibility of scientific knowledge, searching widely across a range of disciplines for evidence about the perceptions, paradigms and analogies on which all our understanding depends.

About this title

Book Description:

A challenging investigation of the reliability of scientific knowledge results in a revealing exploration of worldly perception--and surprising connections between scientific methods and everyday understanding.

Review:

'He is one of the cleverest and most urbane liberal scientists writing about science today.' The Guardian

About this edition

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0521406706
• ISBN 13: 9780521406703
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 208