Items related to The Island of Knowledge: The Limits of Science and...
Synopsis
Do all questions have answers? How much can we know about the world? Is there such a thing as an ultimate truth?To be human is to want to know, but what we are able to observe is only a tiny portion of what's out there." In The Island of Knowledge , physicist Marcelo Gleiser traces our search for answers to the most fundamental questions of existence. In so doing, he reaches a provocative conclusion: science, the main tool we use to find answers, is fundamentally limited.These limits to our knowledge arise both from our tools of exploration and from the nature of physical reality: the speed of light, the uncertainty principle, the impossibility of seeing beyond the cosmic horizon, the incompleteness theorem, and our own limitations as an intelligent species. Recognizing limits in this way, Gleiser argues, is not a deterrent to progress or a surrendering to religion. Rather, it frees us to question the meaning and nature of the universe while affirming the central role of life and ourselves in it. Science can and must go on, but recognizing its limits reveals its true mission: to know the universe is to know ourselves.Telling the dramatic story of our quest for understanding, The Island of Knowledge offers a highly original exploration of the ideas of some of the greatest thinkers in history, from Plato to Einstein, and how they affect us today. An authoritative, broad-ranging intellectual history of our search for knowledge and meaning, The Island of Knowledge is a unique view of what it means to be human in a universe filled with mystery.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
About the Author
Marcelo Gleiser is Appleton Professor of Natural Philosophy and Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Dartmouth College. He has published numerous popular works, including an essay, Emergent Realities in the Cosmos," which was featured in 2003's Best American Science Writing, and three previous books: The Dancing Universe, The Prophet and the Astronomer, and A Tear at the Edge of Creation.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Search results for The Island of Knowledge: The Limits of Science and...
Stock Image
The Island of Knowledge: The Limits of Science and the Search for Meaning
Seller: WorldofBooks, Goring-By-Sea, WS, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: Very Good. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. Seller Inventory # GOR008249703
Quantity: 2 available
Stock Image
The Island of Knowledge : The Limits of Science and the Search for Meaning
Seller: Better World Books: West, Reno, NV, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Seller Inventory # 12771311-6
Quantity: 2 available
Stock Image
The Island of Knowledge: The Limits of Science and the Search for Meaning
Seller: ThriftBooks-Atlanta, AUSTELL, GA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: Good. No Jacket. Former library book; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 0.85. Seller Inventory # G0465049648I3N10
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
The Island of Knowledge: The Limits of Science and the Search for Meaning
Seller: ThriftBooks-Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: Good. No Jacket. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 0.85. Seller Inventory # G0465049648I3N00
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
The Island of Knowledge: The Limits of Science and the Search for Meaning
Seller: ThriftBooks-Atlanta, AUSTELL, GA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: Good. No Jacket. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 0.85. Seller Inventory # G0465049648I3N00
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
The Island of Knowledge: The Limits of Science and the Search for Meaning
Seller: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. Missing dust jacket; May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 0.85. Seller Inventory # G0465049648I4N01
Quantity: 1 available
Seller Image
The Island of Knowledge
Published by
INGRAM PUBLISHER SERVICES US, 2015
ISBN 10: 0465049648
ISBN 13: 9780465049646
Used
Softcover
Seller: Bookbot, Prague, Czech Republic
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Softcover. Condition: Fine. Leichte Risse. Do all questions have answers? How much can we know about the world? Is there such a thing as an ultimate truth? To be human is to want to know, to understand our origins and the meaning of our lives. In The Island of Knowledge, physicist Marcelo Gleiser traces our search for answers to the most fundamental questions of existence, the origin of the universe, the nature of reality, and the limits of knowledge. In so doing, he reaches a provocative conclusion: science, the main tool we use to find answers, is fundamentally limited. As science and its philosophical interpretations advance, we are often faced with the unsettling recognition of how much we don't know. Limits to our knowledge of the world arise both from our tools of exploration and from the nature of physical reality: the speed of light, the uncertainty principle, the second law of thermodynamics, the incompleteness theorem, and our own limitations as an intelligent species. Our view of physical reality depends fundamentally on who we are and on how we interact with the cosmos. Seller Inventory # 8c9d3888-2984-405b-a171-922ce3bdf29d
Quantity: 1 available
Seller Image
The Island of Knowledge
Seller: Book Express (NZ), Shannon, New Zealand
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: Good. 367 pages. Ex-library Do all questions have answers? How much can we know about the world? Is there such a thing as an ultimate truth?To be human is to want to know, but wh at we are able to observe is only a tiny portion of what's out there. In The I. Seller Inventory # 1861a
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
ISLAND OF KNOWLEDGE
Seller: Speedyhen, London, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: NEW. Seller Inventory # NW9780465049646
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
The Island of Knowledge
Seller: Bookoutlet1, Easley, SC, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Very Good. Great shape! Has a publisher remainder mark. paperback Used - Very Good 2015. Seller Inventory # IM-10025536
Quantity: Over 20 available