"Yours Ever, Freeman": The Wisdom Of Freeman Dyson

Author: Dwight E Neuenschwander

Publisher: World Scientific

Published: 2023-06-05

Total Pages: 343

ISBN-13: 9811271879

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Freeman Dyson's life experiences made him a wise, kindly grandfather figure to two generations of students enrolled in an undergraduate university course 'Science, Technology, & Society.' Near the end of each semester, the class sent him written questions, on reading Professor Dyson's memoir Disturbing the Universe. The letter exchanges occurred regularly from April 1993 through December 2019.'Yours Ever, Freeman' is devoted to this correspondence between Professor Dyson and the students. His responses went beyond answering questions, as he enlarged the scope of the questions by sharing stories from his experiences. While others have written of Professor Dyson's accomplishments and awards; the class came to know him through his discussions about life, science, and society. Topics ranged from the existential to headlines of the day, from national policies to personal values. Over three thousand students have been blessed to count Freeman Dyson as a mentor and consider him as a friend.'Yours Ever, Freeman' supplements Dear Professor Dyson published earlier. While the 2016 book included in-depth reviews of the STS course contents from which the correspondence emerged, besides including the 2016-2019 correspondence, the present book maintains a tight focus on the correspondence itself, annotated as necessary for context. The book's title comes from the way Professor Dyson signed his letters.


Book Synopsis "Yours Ever, Freeman": The Wisdom Of Freeman Dyson by : Dwight E Neuenschwander

Download or read book "Yours Ever, Freeman": The Wisdom Of Freeman Dyson written by Dwight E Neuenschwander and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 2023-06-05 with total page 343 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Freeman Dyson's life experiences made him a wise, kindly grandfather figure to two generations of students enrolled in an undergraduate university course 'Science, Technology, & Society.' Near the end of each semester, the class sent him written questions, on reading Professor Dyson's memoir Disturbing the Universe. The letter exchanges occurred regularly from April 1993 through December 2019.'Yours Ever, Freeman' is devoted to this correspondence between Professor Dyson and the students. His responses went beyond answering questions, as he enlarged the scope of the questions by sharing stories from his experiences. While others have written of Professor Dyson's accomplishments and awards; the class came to know him through his discussions about life, science, and society. Topics ranged from the existential to headlines of the day, from national policies to personal values. Over three thousand students have been blessed to count Freeman Dyson as a mentor and consider him as a friend.'Yours Ever, Freeman' supplements Dear Professor Dyson published earlier. While the 2016 book included in-depth reviews of the STS course contents from which the correspondence emerged, besides including the 2016-2019 correspondence, the present book maintains a tight focus on the correspondence itself, annotated as necessary for context. The book's title comes from the way Professor Dyson signed his letters.


"Yours Ever, Freeman"

Author: Dwight E. Neuenschwander

Publisher:

Published: 2023

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9789811271861

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Book Synopsis "Yours Ever, Freeman" by : Dwight E. Neuenschwander

Download or read book "Yours Ever, Freeman" written by Dwight E. Neuenschwander and published by . This book was released on 2023 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:


Dreams of Earth and Sky

Dreams of Earth and Sky

Author: Freeman Dyson

Publisher: New York Review of Books

Published: 2015-04-21

Total Pages: 313

ISBN-13: 1590178556

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In this sequel to The Scientist as Rebel (2006), Freeman Dyson—whom The Times of London calls “one of the world’s most original minds”—celebrates openness to unconventional ideas and “the spirit of joyful dreaming” in which he believes that science should be pursued. Throughout these essays, which range from the creation of the Royal Society in the seventeenth century to the scientific inquiries of the Romantic generation to recent books by Daniel Kahneman and Malcolm Gladwell, he seeks to “break down the barriers that separate science from other sources of human wisdom.” Dyson discusses twentieth-century giants of physics such as Richard Feynman, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Paul Dirac, and Steven Weinberg, many of whom he knew personally, as well as Winston Churchill’s pursuit of nuclear weapons for Britain and Wernher von Braun’s pursuit of rockets for space travel. And he takes a provocative, often politically incorrect approach to some of today’s most controversial scientific issues: global warming, the current calculations of which he thinks are probably wrong; the future of biotechnology, which he expects to dominate our lives in the next half-century as the tools to design new living creatures become available to everyone; and the flood of information in the digital age. Dyson offers fresh perspectives on the history, the philosophy, and the practice of scientific inquiry—and even on the blunders, the wild guesses and wrong theories that are also part of our struggle to understand the wonders of the natural world.


Book Synopsis Dreams of Earth and Sky by : Freeman Dyson

Download or read book Dreams of Earth and Sky written by Freeman Dyson and published by New York Review of Books. This book was released on 2015-04-21 with total page 313 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this sequel to The Scientist as Rebel (2006), Freeman Dyson—whom The Times of London calls “one of the world’s most original minds”—celebrates openness to unconventional ideas and “the spirit of joyful dreaming” in which he believes that science should be pursued. Throughout these essays, which range from the creation of the Royal Society in the seventeenth century to the scientific inquiries of the Romantic generation to recent books by Daniel Kahneman and Malcolm Gladwell, he seeks to “break down the barriers that separate science from other sources of human wisdom.” Dyson discusses twentieth-century giants of physics such as Richard Feynman, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Paul Dirac, and Steven Weinberg, many of whom he knew personally, as well as Winston Churchill’s pursuit of nuclear weapons for Britain and Wernher von Braun’s pursuit of rockets for space travel. And he takes a provocative, often politically incorrect approach to some of today’s most controversial scientific issues: global warming, the current calculations of which he thinks are probably wrong; the future of biotechnology, which he expects to dominate our lives in the next half-century as the tools to design new living creatures become available to everyone; and the flood of information in the digital age. Dyson offers fresh perspectives on the history, the philosophy, and the practice of scientific inquiry—and even on the blunders, the wild guesses and wrong theories that are also part of our struggle to understand the wonders of the natural world.


Dear Professor Dyson

Dear Professor Dyson

Author: Dwight E Neuenschwander

Publisher: World Scientific

Published: 2016-03-15

Total Pages: 350

ISBN-13: 9814675873

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' Freeman Dyson has designed nuclear reactors and bomb-powered spacecraft; he has studied the origins of life and the possibilities for the long-term future; he showed quantum mechanics to be consistent with electrodynamics and started cosmological eschatology; he has won international recognition for his work in science and for his work in reconciling science to religion; he has advised generals and congressional committees. An STS (Science, Technology, Society) curriculum or discussion group that engages topics such as nuclear policies, genetic technologies, environmental sustainability, the role of religion in a scientific society, and a hard look towards the future, would count itself privileged to include Professor Dyson as a class participant and mentor. In this book, STS topics are not discussed as objectified abstractions, but through personal stories. The reader is invited to observe Dyson''s influence on a generation of young people as they wrestle with issues of science, technology, society, life in general and our place in the universe. The book is filled with personal anecdotes, student questions and responses, honest doubts and passions. Contents:Walking with GrandfatherLiving in the QuestionsA Hexagonal MountainMartha and MaryEngines With SoulsSteered From AfarThe Swamp AngelRapid RuptureArsenals of FollyTo Touch the Face of the StarsSilenceThe Chainsaw and the White Oak"Why Should I Care?"Playing GodBonds of KinshipTwo WindowsDoubt and FaithDreams of Earth and SkyFamily First Readership: Students and academicians who are interested in issues related to science, technology and society. Key Features:Removes objective detachment and makes STS issues personal through story-telling: Science, technology and society issues are not merely objects of study; they are experiences, they are choices to be lived. Student real-time responses to Professor Dyson''s insights bring the correspondence to lifeIncludes honest questions that are more important than snappy answers: Few STS issues have black-and-white answers; they are, rather, about understanding the questions. For example, do we own our technology, or does our technology own us?Shows all things are connected: Practically every STS topic, it seems, reduces to values and ethics. STS issues are ultimately about relationships between us and nature, our machines, other species, other people — and ourselves. STS issues are too important to be left to scientists and technologistsKeywords:Freeman J Dyson;Disturbing the Universe;Science Technology and Society;Bronowki, Jacob;Astronomical Habitat;Automation;Blake, William;Bomber Command;Car Culture;Chacón, Efrain;Climate Change;Cloning;Cold War;Cosmic Unity;Cosmology;Deforestation;Doubt and Faith;Dickens, Charles;Dyson, Alice;Dyson, Freeman J;Dyson, George;Dyson, Mildred;Einstein, Albert;Evolution;Fundamentalism;Future;Genetic Technologies;Greenhouse Effect;Homogenization of Society;Hydrogen Bomb;Environmental Sustainability;Exponential Growth;Environmental Sustainability;Hubbert''s Peak;Kaufmann, Walter;Manhattan Project;Marshall, Joseph III;Masters, Edgar Lee;Mutual Assured Destruction;Native Americans;Nuclear Weapons;Oil Consumption;Pirsig, Robert;Population;Project Orion;Quetzal Education Research Center;Reverence For Life;Schweitzer, Albert;Science And Religion;Silence;Six Faces of Science;Space Exploration;Standing Bear, Luther;Stem Cells;Strategic Air Command;Thoreau, Henry David;Turkle, Sherry;Urban Sprawl;White Oak Model'


Book Synopsis Dear Professor Dyson by : Dwight E Neuenschwander

Download or read book Dear Professor Dyson written by Dwight E Neuenschwander and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 2016-03-15 with total page 350 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ' Freeman Dyson has designed nuclear reactors and bomb-powered spacecraft; he has studied the origins of life and the possibilities for the long-term future; he showed quantum mechanics to be consistent with electrodynamics and started cosmological eschatology; he has won international recognition for his work in science and for his work in reconciling science to religion; he has advised generals and congressional committees. An STS (Science, Technology, Society) curriculum or discussion group that engages topics such as nuclear policies, genetic technologies, environmental sustainability, the role of religion in a scientific society, and a hard look towards the future, would count itself privileged to include Professor Dyson as a class participant and mentor. In this book, STS topics are not discussed as objectified abstractions, but through personal stories. The reader is invited to observe Dyson''s influence on a generation of young people as they wrestle with issues of science, technology, society, life in general and our place in the universe. The book is filled with personal anecdotes, student questions and responses, honest doubts and passions. Contents:Walking with GrandfatherLiving in the QuestionsA Hexagonal MountainMartha and MaryEngines With SoulsSteered From AfarThe Swamp AngelRapid RuptureArsenals of FollyTo Touch the Face of the StarsSilenceThe Chainsaw and the White Oak"Why Should I Care?"Playing GodBonds of KinshipTwo WindowsDoubt and FaithDreams of Earth and SkyFamily First Readership: Students and academicians who are interested in issues related to science, technology and society. Key Features:Removes objective detachment and makes STS issues personal through story-telling: Science, technology and society issues are not merely objects of study; they are experiences, they are choices to be lived. Student real-time responses to Professor Dyson''s insights bring the correspondence to lifeIncludes honest questions that are more important than snappy answers: Few STS issues have black-and-white answers; they are, rather, about understanding the questions. For example, do we own our technology, or does our technology own us?Shows all things are connected: Practically every STS topic, it seems, reduces to values and ethics. STS issues are ultimately about relationships between us and nature, our machines, other species, other people — and ourselves. STS issues are too important to be left to scientists and technologistsKeywords:Freeman J Dyson;Disturbing the Universe;Science Technology and Society;Bronowki, Jacob;Astronomical Habitat;Automation;Blake, William;Bomber Command;Car Culture;Chacón, Efrain;Climate Change;Cloning;Cold War;Cosmic Unity;Cosmology;Deforestation;Doubt and Faith;Dickens, Charles;Dyson, Alice;Dyson, Freeman J;Dyson, George;Dyson, Mildred;Einstein, Albert;Evolution;Fundamentalism;Future;Genetic Technologies;Greenhouse Effect;Homogenization of Society;Hydrogen Bomb;Environmental Sustainability;Exponential Growth;Environmental Sustainability;Hubbert''s Peak;Kaufmann, Walter;Manhattan Project;Marshall, Joseph III;Masters, Edgar Lee;Mutual Assured Destruction;Native Americans;Nuclear Weapons;Oil Consumption;Pirsig, Robert;Population;Project Orion;Quetzal Education Research Center;Reverence For Life;Schweitzer, Albert;Science And Religion;Silence;Six Faces of Science;Space Exploration;Standing Bear, Luther;Stem Cells;Strategic Air Command;Thoreau, Henry David;Turkle, Sherry;Urban Sprawl;White Oak Model'


The Scientist as Rebel

The Scientist as Rebel

Author: Freeman Dyson

Publisher: New York Review of Books

Published: 2014-08-26

Total Pages: 350

ISBN-13: 1590178815

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33 essays on the fads and fantasies of science and scientists—including climate prediction, genetic engineering, space colonization, and paranormal phenomena—by “the iconoclastic physicist who has become one of science’s most eloquent interpreters” (New York Times) “Provocative, touching, and always surprising.” —Wired Magazine From Galileo to today’s amateur astronomers, scientists have been rebels, writes Freeman Dyson. Like artists and poets, they are free spirits who resist the restrictions their cultures impose on them. In their pursuit of nature’s truths, they are guided as much by imagination as by reason, and their greatest theories have the uniqueness and beauty of great works of art. Dyson argues that the best way to understand science is by understanding those who practice it. He tells stories of scientists at work, ranging from Isaac Newton’s absorption in physics, alchemy, theology, and politics, to Ernest Rutherford’s discovery of the structure of the atom, to Albert Einstein’s stubborn hostility to the idea of black holes. His descriptions of brilliant physicists like Edward Teller and Richard Feynman are enlivened by his own reminiscences of them. He looks with a skeptical eye at fashionable scientific fads and fantasies, and speculates on the future of climate prediction, genetic engineering, the colonization of space, and the possibility that paranormal phenomena may exist yet not be scientifically verifiable. Dyson also looks beyond particular scientific questions to reflect on broader philosophical issues, such as the limits of reductionism, the morality of strategic bombing and nuclear weapons, the preservation of the environment, and the relationship between science and religion. These essays, by a distinguished physicist who is also a prolific writer, offer informed insights into the history of science and fresh perspectives on contentious current debates about science, ethics, and faith.


Book Synopsis The Scientist as Rebel by : Freeman Dyson

Download or read book The Scientist as Rebel written by Freeman Dyson and published by New York Review of Books. This book was released on 2014-08-26 with total page 350 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 33 essays on the fads and fantasies of science and scientists—including climate prediction, genetic engineering, space colonization, and paranormal phenomena—by “the iconoclastic physicist who has become one of science’s most eloquent interpreters” (New York Times) “Provocative, touching, and always surprising.” —Wired Magazine From Galileo to today’s amateur astronomers, scientists have been rebels, writes Freeman Dyson. Like artists and poets, they are free spirits who resist the restrictions their cultures impose on them. In their pursuit of nature’s truths, they are guided as much by imagination as by reason, and their greatest theories have the uniqueness and beauty of great works of art. Dyson argues that the best way to understand science is by understanding those who practice it. He tells stories of scientists at work, ranging from Isaac Newton’s absorption in physics, alchemy, theology, and politics, to Ernest Rutherford’s discovery of the structure of the atom, to Albert Einstein’s stubborn hostility to the idea of black holes. His descriptions of brilliant physicists like Edward Teller and Richard Feynman are enlivened by his own reminiscences of them. He looks with a skeptical eye at fashionable scientific fads and fantasies, and speculates on the future of climate prediction, genetic engineering, the colonization of space, and the possibility that paranormal phenomena may exist yet not be scientifically verifiable. Dyson also looks beyond particular scientific questions to reflect on broader philosophical issues, such as the limits of reductionism, the morality of strategic bombing and nuclear weapons, the preservation of the environment, and the relationship between science and religion. These essays, by a distinguished physicist who is also a prolific writer, offer informed insights into the history of science and fresh perspectives on contentious current debates about science, ethics, and faith.


A Many-Colored Glass

A Many-Colored Glass

Author: Freeman J. Dyson

Publisher: University of Virginia Press

Published: 2010-02-03

Total Pages: 133

ISBN-13: 0813931436

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Freeman Dyson’s latest book does not attempt to bring together all of the celebrated physicist’s thoughts on science and technology into a unified theory. The emphasis is, instead, on the myriad ways in which the universe presents itself to us--and how, as observers and participants in its processes, we respond to it. "Life, like a dome of many-colored glass," wrote Percy Bysshe Shelley, "stains the white radiance of eternity." The author seeks here to explore the variety that gives life its beauty. Taken from Dyson’s recent public lectures--delivered to audiences with no specialized knowledge in hard sciences--the book begins with a consideration of the practical and political questions surrounding biotechnology. As he seeks how best to explain the place of life in the universe, Dyson then moves from the ethical to the purely scientific. The book concludes with an attempt to understand the implications of biology for philosophy and religion. The pieces in this collection touch on numerous disciplines, from astronomy and ecology to neurology and theology, speaking to the lay reader as well as to the scientist. As always, Dyson’s view of human nature and behavior is balanced, and his predictions of a world to come serve primarily as a means for thinking about the world as it is today.


Book Synopsis A Many-Colored Glass by : Freeman J. Dyson

Download or read book A Many-Colored Glass written by Freeman J. Dyson and published by University of Virginia Press. This book was released on 2010-02-03 with total page 133 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Freeman Dyson’s latest book does not attempt to bring together all of the celebrated physicist’s thoughts on science and technology into a unified theory. The emphasis is, instead, on the myriad ways in which the universe presents itself to us--and how, as observers and participants in its processes, we respond to it. "Life, like a dome of many-colored glass," wrote Percy Bysshe Shelley, "stains the white radiance of eternity." The author seeks here to explore the variety that gives life its beauty. Taken from Dyson’s recent public lectures--delivered to audiences with no specialized knowledge in hard sciences--the book begins with a consideration of the practical and political questions surrounding biotechnology. As he seeks how best to explain the place of life in the universe, Dyson then moves from the ethical to the purely scientific. The book concludes with an attempt to understand the implications of biology for philosophy and religion. The pieces in this collection touch on numerous disciplines, from astronomy and ecology to neurology and theology, speaking to the lay reader as well as to the scientist. As always, Dyson’s view of human nature and behavior is balanced, and his predictions of a world to come serve primarily as a means for thinking about the world as it is today.


Dear Professor Dyson

Dear Professor Dyson

Author: Freeman J. Dyson

Publisher: World Scientific

Published: 2016

Total Pages: 435

ISBN-13: 9814675865

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"Freeman Dyson has designed nuclear reactors and bomb-powered spacecraft; he has studied the origins of life and the possibilities for the long-term future; he showed quantum mechanics to be consistent with electrodynamics and started cosmological eschatology; he has won international recognition for his work in science and for his work in reconciling science to religion; he has advised generals and congressional committees. An STS (Science, Technology, Society) curriculum or discussion group that engages topics such as nuclear policies, genetic technologies, environmental sustainability, the role of religion in a scientific society, and a hard look towards the future, would count itself privileged to include Professor Dyson as a class participant and mentor. In this book, STS topics are not discussed as objectified abstractions, but through personal stories. The reader is invited to observe Dyson's influence on a generation of young people as they wrestle with issues of science, technology, society, life in general and our place in the universe. The book is filled with personal anecdotes, student questions and responses, honest doubts and passions"--


Book Synopsis Dear Professor Dyson by : Freeman J. Dyson

Download or read book Dear Professor Dyson written by Freeman J. Dyson and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 2016 with total page 435 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Freeman Dyson has designed nuclear reactors and bomb-powered spacecraft; he has studied the origins of life and the possibilities for the long-term future; he showed quantum mechanics to be consistent with electrodynamics and started cosmological eschatology; he has won international recognition for his work in science and for his work in reconciling science to religion; he has advised generals and congressional committees. An STS (Science, Technology, Society) curriculum or discussion group that engages topics such as nuclear policies, genetic technologies, environmental sustainability, the role of religion in a scientific society, and a hard look towards the future, would count itself privileged to include Professor Dyson as a class participant and mentor. In this book, STS topics are not discussed as objectified abstractions, but through personal stories. The reader is invited to observe Dyson's influence on a generation of young people as they wrestle with issues of science, technology, society, life in general and our place in the universe. The book is filled with personal anecdotes, student questions and responses, honest doubts and passions"--


Imagined Worlds

Imagined Worlds

Author: Freeman J. Dyson

Publisher: Harvard University Press

Published: 1998

Total Pages: 228

ISBN-13: 9780674539099

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Chapters have such headings as: Stories, Science, Technology, Evolution, and Ethics.


Book Synopsis Imagined Worlds by : Freeman J. Dyson

Download or read book Imagined Worlds written by Freeman J. Dyson and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 1998 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Chapters have such headings as: Stories, Science, Technology, Evolution, and Ethics.


Maker of Patterns: An Autobiography Through Letters

Maker of Patterns: An Autobiography Through Letters

Author: Freeman Dyson

Publisher: Liveright Publishing

Published: 2018-04-10

Total Pages: 320

ISBN-13: 0871403870

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A lifetime of candid reflections from physicist Freeman Dyson, “an acute observer of personality and human foibles” (New York Times Book Review). Written between 1940 and the late 1970s, the postwar recollections of renowned physicist Freeman Dyson have been celebrated as an historic portrait of modern science and its greatest players, including Robert Oppenheimer, Richard Feynman, Stephen Hawking, and Hans Bethe. Chronicling the stories of those who were engaged in solving some of the most challenging quandaries of twentieth-century physics, Dyson lends acute insight and profound observations to a life’s work spent chasing what Einstein called those “deep mysteries that Nature intends to keep for herself.” Whether reflecting on the drama of World War II, the moral dilemmas of nuclear development, the challenges of the space program, or the demands of raising six children, Dyson’s annotated letters reveal the voice of one “more creative than almost anyone else of his generation” (Kip Thorne). An illuminating work in these trying times, Maker of Patterns is an eyewitness account of the scientific discoveries that define our modern age.


Book Synopsis Maker of Patterns: An Autobiography Through Letters by : Freeman Dyson

Download or read book Maker of Patterns: An Autobiography Through Letters written by Freeman Dyson and published by Liveright Publishing. This book was released on 2018-04-10 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A lifetime of candid reflections from physicist Freeman Dyson, “an acute observer of personality and human foibles” (New York Times Book Review). Written between 1940 and the late 1970s, the postwar recollections of renowned physicist Freeman Dyson have been celebrated as an historic portrait of modern science and its greatest players, including Robert Oppenheimer, Richard Feynman, Stephen Hawking, and Hans Bethe. Chronicling the stories of those who were engaged in solving some of the most challenging quandaries of twentieth-century physics, Dyson lends acute insight and profound observations to a life’s work spent chasing what Einstein called those “deep mysteries that Nature intends to keep for herself.” Whether reflecting on the drama of World War II, the moral dilemmas of nuclear development, the challenges of the space program, or the demands of raising six children, Dyson’s annotated letters reveal the voice of one “more creative than almost anyone else of his generation” (Kip Thorne). An illuminating work in these trying times, Maker of Patterns is an eyewitness account of the scientific discoveries that define our modern age.


Debunked!

Debunked!

Author: Georges Charpak

Publisher: JHU Press

Published: 2004-04-29

Total Pages: 170

ISBN-13: 9780801878671

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During the most scientifically advanced period in human history, belief in the paranormal and the supernatural is alarmingly common. Nobel Prize winner Georges Charpak and physics professor Henri Broch team up to show you the tricks of the trade and sleight of hand that keep astrologers, TV psychics, and spoon benders in business. Using only the simplest of science, the authors explore the effectiveness of horoscopes--the blander the better--and why, with a television audience in the millions, any strange, unlikely prediction is almost certain to come true. Not merely an exposé of magic tricks, this book demonstrates how pseudoscientists use science, statistics, and psychology to bamboozle an audience--sometimes for fun, sometimes for profit. Entertaining and enlightening, Debunked! is the antidote, vigorously asserting the virtues of doubt, skepticism, curiosity, and scientific knowledge.--From publisher description.


Book Synopsis Debunked! by : Georges Charpak

Download or read book Debunked! written by Georges Charpak and published by JHU Press. This book was released on 2004-04-29 with total page 170 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During the most scientifically advanced period in human history, belief in the paranormal and the supernatural is alarmingly common. Nobel Prize winner Georges Charpak and physics professor Henri Broch team up to show you the tricks of the trade and sleight of hand that keep astrologers, TV psychics, and spoon benders in business. Using only the simplest of science, the authors explore the effectiveness of horoscopes--the blander the better--and why, with a television audience in the millions, any strange, unlikely prediction is almost certain to come true. Not merely an exposé of magic tricks, this book demonstrates how pseudoscientists use science, statistics, and psychology to bamboozle an audience--sometimes for fun, sometimes for profit. Entertaining and enlightening, Debunked! is the antidote, vigorously asserting the virtues of doubt, skepticism, curiosity, and scientific knowledge.--From publisher description.