Abstract

The Ways of Modern Science

The article focuses on the book "What Is Science? Twelve Eminent Scientists and Philosophers Explain Their Various Fields to the Layman," edited by James R. Newman. The present volume is a welcome addition to the literature of science addressed primarily to laymen which seeks to realize these objectives. Its dozen essays are designed, not to overwhelm the reader with cheap accounts of the "wonders of science," but to acquaint him with the state of theoretical research in a number of fundamental scientific disciplines. The range of the essays extends from the bold speculations of recent physical cosmology, through the central ideas of nuclear physics and modern chemistry, to discussions of basic theoretical notions in geology, psychology and social studies.