From Physics to Metaphysics (Tarner Lectures) Book

The book is drawn from the Tarner lectures delivered in Cambridge in 1993. It deals with the ultimate nature of reality, and how this is revealed by modern physical theories such as relativity and quantum theory. The author defends the objectivity and rationality of science against the views of relativists and social constructionists. He claims that modern physics gives us a tentative and fallible, but nevertheless rational, approach to the nature of physical reality. He examines the role of subjectivity in science in the fields of relativity theory, statistical mechanics and quantum theory, and rejects recent claims of an essential role for human consciousness in physics. Finally, he considers prospects for a Theory of Everything and how to assess scientific progress. This book will engage popular science readers as well as students and professionals.