Are there scientific problems that cannot be solved? Mathematics is riddled with such problems, but can we pose analogous questions outside of mathematics? Does nature itself impose fundamental limits on our knowledge of the universe? Despite the work of some of the greatest minds of the twentieth century, no one really knows.In May 1995 this profound and far-reaching concern brought together a small but select group of scientists in a remote scientific outpost in Abisko, Sweden, a village far north of the Arctic Circle. Boundaries and Barriers captures the spiritand the contentof the talks given at the meeting. Included are contributions by John Barrow on the limits of science, John Casti on the search for the unknowable” in science, James Hartle on quantum cosmology, Harold Morowitz on complexity and epistemology, and six more fascinating chapters that illuminate the possible limits to what we can know by using the tools of science. The issues discussed here challenge the very foundations of science, but the conclusions are optimistic. When the dust clears, science remains standing-our best bet for understanding the way the world works.

Boundaries And Barriers: On The Limits To Scientific Knowledge

Science & Math

CASTI, John L.

Karlqvist, Anders

History & Philosophy

Basic Books

Mission To Abisko: Stories and Myths In The Creation of Scientific ""Truth""

In May 1997, acclaimed science author John Casti led a dozen gifted writers to a remote Swedish village called Abisko, far above the Arctic Circle, to discuss the nature of scientific truth. Their discussions and debates focused on one major question: How do the stories that scientists tell each other, and the public, affect the way they do their science? This book is the outcome of that lively meeting of the minds. Each chapter is by a noted scientist who writes, or science fiction writer who practices science, and the cast includes John Barrow, Greg Bear, Ian Stewart, Gregory Benford, Larry Niven, and John Casti himself. In this fascinating look behind the scenes of science, eleven of the world's top scientist-authors examine the phenomenon of science as storytelling.As these authors demonstrate, the tales scientists tell each other are often even more mysterious or fanciful than those they tell the public. Many of these tales are called ”thought experiments,” and their purpose is to focus and encapsulate large amounts of knowledge into short, pithy pictures, that capture the essenceand the shortcomingsof a scientific theory. Nevertheless, some of these talessuch as ” Schrödinger's Cat ” and ” Hilbert's Infinite Hotel ”have worked their way into the public consciousness, almost to the point of being household words. Mission to Abisko is a must-read for people curious about our perception of scientific ”truth.”

Mission To Abisko: Stories and Myths In The Creation Of Scientific ""Truth""

With *

Health, Fitness & Dieting

In May 1997, acclaimed science author John Casti led a dozen gifted writers to a remote Swedish village called Abisko, far above the Arctic Circle, to discuss the nature of scientific truth. Their discussions and debates focused on one major question: How do the stories that scientists tell each other, and the public, affect the way they do their science? This book is the outcome of that lively meeting of the minds. Each chapter is by a noted scientist who writes, or science fiction writer who practices science, and the cast includes John Barrow, Greg Bear, Ian Stewart, Gregory Benford, Larry Niven, and John Casti himself. In this fascinating look behind the scenes of science, eleven of the world's top scientist-authors examine the phenomenon of science as storytelling.As these authors demonstrate, the tales scientists tell each other are often even more mysterious or fanciful than those they tell the public. Many of these tales are called ”thought experiments,” and their purpose is to focus and encapsulate large amounts of knowledge into short, pithy pictures, that capture the essenceand the shortcomingsof a scientific theory. Nevertheless, some of these talessuch as ” Schrödinger's Cat ” and ” Hilbert's Infinite Hotel ”have worked their way into the public consciousness, almost to the point of being household words. Mission to Abisko is a must-read for people curious about our perception of scientific ”truth.”

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Books by Karlqvist, Anders