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These iconoclastic and witty essays are about what happens when scientists jump on band-wagons. Tony Rothman applies creative skepticism to contemporary fashions in science, including the "standard model" Big Bang theory, geodesic domes, the concept of nuclear winter, and sociological applications of the second law of thermodynamics. "Rothman proves himself an excellent communicator... I am grateful to him for he has enlarged my vision, increased my understanding, and made me more aware of the beauty of the patterns and connections of all the world."--Dick Kovan, New Scientist "These six delightful essays address and substantiate the sociological underpinnings of the scientific enterprise... I highly recommend this volume of excellent essays that remind us all of the `folly of mistaking a paradox for a discovery, a metaphor for a proof, a torrent of verbiage for a spring of capital truth, and oneself for an oracle...'"--Dennis W. Cheek, Science Books & Films
Originally published in 1989.
The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.
About the author
Tony Rothman is a physicist and writer. He received a B.A. in physics from Swarthmore College in 1975, and a Ph.D. from the Center for Relativity at the University of Texas, Austin in 1981. After leaving Texas, he did post-doctoral work at Oxford, Moscow and Cape Town. Rothman's scientific research has been in cosmology, the study of the early universe, and he has authored approximately sixty scientific papers on that subject. He has taught physics at Princeton, Harvard and elsewhere. Apart from his scientific work, Rothman is the author of eleven books, both fiction and nonfiction. The most recent is Firebird, a scientific suspense novel concerning a race for nuclear fusion (Wildside Press, 2015). He has also authored seven plays, contributes to a number of national magazines, including Scientific American and Discover, and has been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize.
Summary
These iconoclastic and witty essays are about what happens when scientists jump on band-wagons. Tony Rothman applies creative skepticism to contemporary fashions in science, including the "standard model" Big Bang theory, geodesic domes, the concept of nuclear winter, and sociological applications of the second law of thermodynamics. "Rothman proves himself an excellent communicator... I am grateful to him for he has enlarged my vision, increased my understanding, and made me more aware of the beauty of the patterns and connections of all the world."--Dick Kovan, New Scientist "These six delightful essays address and substantiate the sociological underpinnings of the scientific enterprise... I highly recommend this volume of excellent essays that remind us all of the `folly of mistaking a paradox for a discovery, a metaphor for a proof, a torrent of verbiage for a spring of capital truth, and oneself for an oracle...'"--Dennis W. Cheek, Science Books & Films
Originally published in 1989.
The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.
