George V. Coyne, Michael Heller (auth.)9783642096372, 3642096379
Why is our world comprehensible? This question seems so trivial that few people have dared to ask it. In this book we explore the deep roots of the mystery of rationality. The inquiry into the rationality of the world began over two-and-a-half-thousand years ago, when a few courageous people tried to understand the world with the help of reason alone, rejecting the comforting fabric of myth and legend.
After many philosophical and theological adventures the Greek concept of rationality laid the foundations of a revolutionary way of thinking: the scientific method, which transformed the world.
But looking at the newest fruits of the world’s rationality – relativity theory, quantum mechanics, the unification of physics, quantum gravity – the question arises: what are the limits of the scientific method? The principal tenet of rationality is that you should never stop asking questions until everything has been answered …
“The Comprehensible Universe is a thoughtful book by two authors who have professional expertise in physics and astronomy and also in theology. They are exceptionally well informed about the history of the relation between science and theology, and they maintain throughout their discussion a respect for empirical evidence and a dedication to rationality. Even though I do not agree with all of their conclusions on matters of great complexity I am impressed by the fairness of their argumentation.”
Abner Shimony, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and Physics, Boston University
Table of contents :
Front Matter….Pages I-XIV
Front Matter….Pages 1-2
Discovery that the World is Rational….Pages 3-9
Should the Astronomer Look into the Sky?….Pages 11-14
Seven Fighters against Thebes….Pages 15-19
How to Count the Grains of Sand….Pages 21-25
Is the World Rational?….Pages 27-31
Front Matter….Pages 33-34
Christianity on the Scene….Pages 35-39
Theology and Science in the Epoch of the Church Fathers….Pages 41-51
The Medieval Contribution….Pages 53-60
Front Matter….Pages 61-64
Achilles and the Arrow….Pages 65-72
The Dynamics of Aristotle….Pages 73-78
Three Generations: From Tartaglia to Galileo….Pages 79-87
Birth of the Method….Pages 89-99
Is the World Mathematical?….Pages 101-109
Mathematics at Work….Pages 111-133
Afterthoughts….Pages 135-142
Back Matter….Pages 143-160
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.