Why Beliefs Matter

In the follow-up to his acclaimed Science in the Looking Glass, Brian Davies discusses deep problems about our place in the world, using a minimum of technical jargon. The book argues that 'absolutist' ideas of the objectivity of science, dating back to Plato, continue to mislead generations of both theoretical physicists and theologians. It explains that the multi-layered nature of our present descriptions of the world is unavoidable, not because of anything about the world, but because of our own human natures. It tries to rescue mathematics from the singular and exceptional status that it has been assigned, as much by those who understand it as by those who do not. Working throughout from direct quotations from many of the important contributors to its subject, it concludes with a penetrating criticism of many of the recent contributions to the often acrimonious debates about science and religions. "Davies has thought long and hard about the relationship of mathematics to the physical world, which gives him an interesting and even helpful perspective." --Josh Reeves, ESSSAT News 21.3"Although some of the ideas in the book are complex, the presentation is both lucid and entertaining. It has made me re-evaluate my own beliefs about the nature of mathematics. Davies raises more questions than answers, and I strongly recommend to you this thought-provoking book." --ColvaRoney-Dougal, The London Mathematical Society Newsletter.".. a wide-ranging, thought-provoking meditation." --Manjit Kumar, New ScientistPreface ; 1. The Scientific Revolution ; 2. The Human Condition ; 3. The Nature of Mathematics ; 4. Sense and Nonsense ; 5. Science and Religion