The Constants of Nature Book

"Scientific revolutions don't seem to happen any more," says John Barrow in The Constants of Nature. He is talking about physics, a discipline with a folklore littered with blandishments such as this. Invariably, such statements turn out to be embarrassingly wrong. So why does the author of such popular successes as Pi in the Sky and (with Frank Tipler) The Anthropic Cosmological Principle lay himself open so brazenly to the ridicule of future generations? The answer lies in Barrow's firm grasp of scientific practice. He demolishes, with wonderful aplomb, any notion that theories of physics since Newton have in any way "replaced" their forebears. There is no "overthrow" of old theories, only a growing appreciation of how big and how complex the world really is, so that many different theories serve to explain its various properties. Barrow believes these theories can and will one day be unified, but he goes on to show why even this "Theory of Everything" will have its rough edges. Barrow explains how physical constants--the "rules" of the universe--are being teased out from the white-noise of local conditions, anthropocentric assumptions and numerological fancy. It is a difficult, erudite and witty demonstration of how science can be both a cultural activity and a source of objective knowledge. Barrow's catholic reading and keen interest in people balance handsomely his no-punches-pulled approach to difficult concepts. Martin Rees's slightly more approachable The Cosmic Environment, while by no means substituting for Barrow's book, would make a handy companion. --Simon IngsRead More