Science's First Mistake: Delusions in Pursuit of Theory
Taking examples from across the natural and social sciences, this ambitious book examines the deep-seated assumptions that underpin the discovery of knowledge, and claims that all scientific methods are delusions in pursuit of theory. Using Systems Theory, in particular the concept of self-reference, the book argues that the process of observing tricks the human mind into developing a self-consistent description of itself; and a belief in the certainty of a causal 'reality'. Our theories and ways of thinking about the world around us are, in fact, distinct from the 'reality' being observed. This fresh, audacious work makes an important contribution to the study of scientific method, and takes readers out of the comfort zone of their perceived scientific certainty.
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Science's First Mistake: Delusions in Pursuit of Theory
Taking examples from across the natural and social sciences, this ambitious book examines the deep-seated assumptions that underpin the discovery of knowledge, and claims that all scientific methods are delusions in pursuit of theory. Using Systems Theory, in particular the concept of self-reference, the book argues that the process of observing tricks the human mind into developing a self-consistent description of itself; and a belief in the certainty of a causal 'reality'. Our theories and ways of thinking about the world around us are, in fact, distinct from the 'reality' being observed. This fresh, audacious work makes an important contribution to the study of scientific method, and takes readers out of the comfort zone of their perceived scientific certainty.
44.95 In Stock
Science's First Mistake: Delusions in Pursuit of Theory

Science's First Mistake: Delusions in Pursuit of Theory

Science's First Mistake: Delusions in Pursuit of Theory

Science's First Mistake: Delusions in Pursuit of Theory

Paperback

$44.95 
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Overview

Taking examples from across the natural and social sciences, this ambitious book examines the deep-seated assumptions that underpin the discovery of knowledge, and claims that all scientific methods are delusions in pursuit of theory. Using Systems Theory, in particular the concept of self-reference, the book argues that the process of observing tricks the human mind into developing a self-consistent description of itself; and a belief in the certainty of a causal 'reality'. Our theories and ways of thinking about the world around us are, in fact, distinct from the 'reality' being observed. This fresh, audacious work makes an important contribution to the study of scientific method, and takes readers out of the comfort zone of their perceived scientific certainty.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781780932330
Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date: 11/13/2012
Pages: 256
Product dimensions: 6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Ian O. Angell is Professor Emeritus at the London School of Economics. His many publications include The New Barbarian Manifesto: How to survive the information age.

Dionysios S. Demetis is a Member of the Scientific Board of the Geolab Institute at the Ionian University, Greece.

Table of Contents

List of FiguresPreface to the New in Paperback editionPreface1. Introduction2. Divination and Theory Construction3. Delusion4.Individual Allusions Contra Sensory Overload5. Patterns of Categorical Delusions6. Tidy Minds, Technology, and the Myth of Control 7. Systems Theory8. On the Premises of Observation9. The Frame of Observation & the Functional Differentiation of Science10. Higher Order Observations11. Asymmetry and Self-Reference12. Collapsing Systems13. The 'Reality' of the Real
Epilogue: Science's First Mistake
Notes
References
Index

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