Science in the Looking Glass

• Makes important issues in the philosophy and history of science easily accessible.
• Uses historical examples, stories, and quotations to illustrate ideas.
• Confronts widely-held perceptions of science.
• Engages in debate with Roger Penrose's books.
• Argues that mathematics was invented rather than discovered.
• Disentangles those aspects of evolution which are fact from those which are aspirations.

Readership: The book is aimed at those members of the general public who purchase books on popular science, catering for a wide and diverse audience. The book does not require any particular techincal knowledge. It will also be of interest to university staff in science or philosophy who are interested in topics outside their own fields of expertise.

E. Brian Davies, Department of Mathematics, King's College, London

Review(s) from previous edition

"An original and superbly intelligent attempt by someone who knows and loves the subject, to challenge the misconceptions and transcendental mysteries that cling so beguilingly to mathematics... accessible, non-technical style... fresh and exhilarating. - Brian Rotman, Times Literary Supplement

"Science in the Looking Glass is worth reading in your leisure time. It is stimulating even when you disagree with the author. " - Physics Today

"...it is a brilliant work, beautifully written, and brimming with surprising information and stimulating philosophical speculations. " - Notices of the AMS

"I highly recommend this book and hope that it is widely read by scientists and laypeople alike. " - Bill Rowe, American Journal of Psychology

1: Perception and Language
2: Theories of the Mind
3: Arithmetic
4: How Hard can Problems get?
5: Pure Mathematics
6: Mechanics and Astronomy
7: Probability and Quantum Theory
8: Is Evolution a Theory?
9: Against Reductionism
10: Some Final Thoughts