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Unrecognized and unacknowledged as the fact may be, science too has its mythology. Starting with a profound clarification of this basic issue, Wolfgang Smith goes on to explain the metaphysical significance of scientific findings relating to visual perception, the relation of neurons to mind, and much else, leading to the central chapter on Stephen Hawking's bestselling book, The Grand Design. Professor Smith first presents Hawking's case, summarizing his entire argument-in which Hawking claims that the very existence of the universe can be explained on scientific grounds-and then proceeds with a magisterial point-by-point rebuttal that leaves Hawking's thesis in tatters. The author closes with a discussion of metaphysics as a "seeing of the Real" which transcends the limitations of scientific modes of knowledge.
About the author
Wolfgang Smith graduated from Cornell at age eighteen with majors in physics, mathematics, and philosophy. He subsequently contributed a theoretical solution to the re-entry problem for space flight. After taking his doctorate in mathematics at Columbia, he served for thirty years as professor of mathematics at M.I.T., U.C.L.A., and Oregon State University. Smith then devoted himself to correcting the fallacies of scientistic belief, focusing on foundational problems pertaining to quantum theory and visual perception by way of the traditional tripartite cosmology. The Philos-Sophia Initiative Foundation's documentary on his life and work, The End of Quantum Reality, is now available on disc and digital platforms worldwide. Visit theendofquantumreality.com for more information.
