The Science of Liberty: Democracy, Reason, and the Laws of Nature - Softcover

Ferris, Timothy

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0060781513 ISBN 13: 9780060781514

Publisher: Harper Perennial, 2011

Synopsis

In his most powerful book to date, award-winning author TimothyFerris makes a passionate case for scienceas the inspiration behind the rise of liberalismand democracy. Ferris showshow science was integral to the AmericanRevolution but misinterpreted inthe French Revolution; reflects on thehistory of liberalism, stressing its widelyunderestimated and mutually beneficialrelationship with science; and surveysthe forces that have opposed scienceand liberalism--from communism andfascism to postmodernism and Islamicfundamentalism. A sweeping intellectualhistory, The Science of Liberty is a stunninglyoriginal work that transcends theantiquated concepts of left and right.

About this title

Review:

Unfashionably optimistic. . . . Ferris provides irrefutable evidence that, despite the tragedies of war and terrorism, there has been astounding progress in both the living standards and the degree of personal freedom enjoyed by the majority of the human race. --"The Financial Times""

Lucid and captivating. . . . Deeply important. . . . Ferris s clear and educative account makes for an enjoyable read. --A. C. Grayling, "The New Scientist""

Engaging. . . . Ambitious. . . . Ferris usefully reminds us that science was an integral part of the intellectual equipment of the great pioneers of political and individual liberty. --"The New York Times Book Review""

An important and extremely readable book. . . . Lively. . . . Clear and perceptive. . . . Ferris is one of America s most skillful communicators about science. . . . He shows himself a fascinating historian too. --"The San Francisco Chronicle""

An important, timely, and splendidly written book. . . . Ferris is among the half-dozen foremost explicators of the physical sciences alive today. . . . "The Science of Liberty" is a profound delight. --"The Washington Post""

"Unfashionably optimistic. . . . Ferris provides irrefutable evidence that, despite the tragedies of war and terrorism, there has been astounding progress in both the living standards and the degree of personal freedom enjoyed by the majority of the human race."--The Financial Times

"Lucid and captivating. . . . Deeply important. . . . Ferris's clear and educative account makes for an enjoyable read."--A. C. Grayling, The New Scientist

"Engaging. . . . Ambitious. . . . Ferris usefully reminds us that science was an integral part of the intellectual equipment of the great pioneers of political and individual liberty."--The New York Times Book Review

"An important and extremely readable book. . . . Lively. . . . Clear and perceptive. . . . Ferris is one of America's most skillful communicators about science. . . . He shows himself a fascinating historian too."--The San Francisco Chronicle

"An important, timely, and splendidly written book. . . . Ferris is among the half-dozen foremost explicators of the physical sciences alive today. . . . The Science of Liberty is a profound delight."--The Washington Post

From the Back Cover:

In his most important book to date, award-winning author Timothy Ferris—"the best popular science writer in the English language today" (Christian Science Monitor)—makes a passionate case for science as the inspiration behind the rise of liberalism and democracy. Ferris argues that just as the scientific revolution rescued billions from poverty, fear, hunger, and disease, the Enlight-enment values it inspired has swelled the number of persons living in free and democratic societies from less than 1 percent of the world population four centuries ago to more than a third today.

Ferris deftly investigates the evolution of these scientific and political revolutions, demonstrating that they are inextricably bound. He shows how science was integral to the American Revolution but misinterpreted in the French Revolution; reflects on the history of liberalism, stressing its widely underestimated and mutually beneficial relationship with science; and surveys the forces that have opposed science and liberalism—from communism and fascism to postmodernism and Islamic fundamentalism.

A sweeping intellectual history, The Science of Liberty is a stunningly original work that transcends the antiquated concepts of left and right.

About this edition

• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0060781513
• ISBN 13: 9780060781514
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 384