Life Is Simple
How Occam's Razor Set Science Free and Shapes the Universe
Published on 28. September 2021
Book
Hardback
384 pages
978-1-5416-2044-5 (ISBN)
Description
Centuries ago, the principle of Ockham's razor changed our world by showing simpler answers to be preferable and more often true. In Life Is Simple, scientist Johnjoe McFadden traces centuries of discoveries, taking us from a geocentric cosmos to quantum mechanics and DNA, arguing that simplicity has revealed profound answers to the greatest mysteries. This is no coincidence. From the laws that keep a ball in motion to those that govern evolution, simplicity, he claims, has shaped the universe itself. And in McFadden's view, life could only have emerged by embracing maximal simplicity, making the fundamental law of the universe a cosmic form of natural selection that favors survival of the simplest. Recasting both the history of science and our universe's origins, McFadden transforms our understanding of ourselves and our world.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
Illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 239 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 35 mm
Weight
602 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-5416-2044-5 (9781541620445)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Johnjoe McFadden is Professor of Molecular Genetics at the University of Surrey, where he studies the genetics of microbes that cause infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis. He is the author of Quantum Evolution and the co-author ofLife on the Edge, which was shortlisted for the Royal Society Book Prize. He lives in London with his wife and son.