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Life is simple : how Occam's razor set science free and shapes the universe / Johnjoe McFadden.

By: Material type: TextTextPublisher: New York : Basic Books, 2021Copyright date: ©2021Edition: First US editionDescription: vi, 376 pages : illustrations ; 25 cmContent type:
  • text
  • still image
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 1541620445
  • 9781541620445
Subject(s):
Contents:
Introduction -- Part I: Discovery. Of scholars and heretics ; The physics of god ; The razor ; How simple are rights? ; The kindling ; The interregnum -- Part II: The unlocking. The heliocentric but hermetic cosmos ; Breaking the spheres ; Bringing simplicity down to Earth ; Atoms and knowing spirits ; The notion of motion ; Making motion work -- Part III: Life's razors. The vital spark ; Life's vital direction ; Of peas, primroses, flies and blind rodents -- Part IV: The cosmic razor. The best of all possible worlds? ; A quantum of simplicity ; Opening up the razor ; The simplest of all possible worlds? -- Epilogue.
Summary: Centuries ago, the principle of Occam's razor changed our world by showing simpler answers to be preferable and more often true. In Life Is Simple, scientist Johnjoe McFadden traces centuries of discoveries, taking us from a geocentric cosmos to quantum mechanics and DNA, arguing that simplicity has revealed profound answers to the greatest mysteries. This is no coincidence. From the laws that keep a ball in motion to those that govern evolution, simplicity, he claims, has shaped the universe itself. And in McFadden's view, life could only have emerged by embracing maximal simplicity, making the fundamental law of the universe a cosmic form of natural selection that favors survival of the simplest.
Holdings
Item type Home library Collection Call number Materials specified Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Adult Book Adult Book Main Library NonFiction 501 M143 Available 33111010749865
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

"In short, Life Is Simple is enthralling."--Michael Blastland, Prospect



A biologist argues that simplicity is the guiding principle of the universe



Centuries ago, the principle of Ockham's razor changed our world by showing simpler answers to be preferable and more often true. In Life Is Simple , scientist Johnjoe McFadden traces centuries of discoveries, taking us from a geocentric cosmos to quantum mechanics and DNA, arguing that simplicity has revealed profound answers to the greatest mysteries. This is no coincidence. From the laws that keep a ball in motion to those that govern evolution, simplicity, he claims, has shaped the universe itself. And in McFadden's view, life could only have emerged by embracing maximal simplicity, making the fundamental law of the universe a cosmic form of natural selection that favors survival of the simplest. Recasting both the history of science and our universe's origins, McFadden transforms our understanding of ourselves and our world.

"Originally published in 2021 in Great Britain by Basic Books London"--Title page verso.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction -- Part I: Discovery. Of scholars and heretics ; The physics of god ; The razor ; How simple are rights? ; The kindling ; The interregnum -- Part II: The unlocking. The heliocentric but hermetic cosmos ; Breaking the spheres ; Bringing simplicity down to Earth ; Atoms and knowing spirits ; The notion of motion ; Making motion work -- Part III: Life's razors. The vital spark ; Life's vital direction ; Of peas, primroses, flies and blind rodents -- Part IV: The cosmic razor. The best of all possible worlds? ; A quantum of simplicity ; Opening up the razor ; The simplest of all possible worlds? -- Epilogue.

Centuries ago, the principle of Occam's razor changed our world by showing simpler answers to be preferable and more often true. In Life Is Simple, scientist Johnjoe McFadden traces centuries of discoveries, taking us from a geocentric cosmos to quantum mechanics and DNA, arguing that simplicity has revealed profound answers to the greatest mysteries. This is no coincidence. From the laws that keep a ball in motion to those that govern evolution, simplicity, he claims, has shaped the universe itself. And in McFadden's view, life could only have emerged by embracing maximal simplicity, making the fundamental law of the universe a cosmic form of natural selection that favors survival of the simplest.

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