7. The Boundaries of Scientific Knowledge

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents vii
3. Preface ix
4. 1. Science as a Liberal Art 1
5. 2. Newtonianism, Reductionism, and the Art of Congressional Testimony 7
6. 3. Newton’s Dream 26
7. 4. Confronting O’Brien 42
8. 5. The Heritage of Galileo 49
9. 6. Nature Itself 57
10. 7. The Boundaries of Scientific Knowledge 70
11. 8. The Methods of Science . . . and Those by Which We Live 83
12. 9. Night Thoughts of a Quantum Physicist 93
13. 10. Reductionism Redux 107
14. 11. Physics and History 123
15. 12. Sokal’s Hoax 138
16. 13. Science and Sokal’s Hoax: An Exchange 155
17. 14. Before the Big Bang 162
18. 15. Zionism and Its Adversaries 181
19. 16. The Red Camaro 184
20. 17. The Non-Revolution of Thomas Kuhn 187
21. 18. T. S. Kuhn’s Non-Revolution: An Exchange 207
22. 19. The Great Reduction: Physics in the Twentieth Century 210
23. 20. A Designer Universe? 230
24. 21. “A Designer Universe?”: An Exchange 243
25. 22. Five and a Half Utopias 247
26. 23. Looking for Peace in the Science Wars 264
27. Sources 273
28. Index 275
29. About the Author 285