The Science of Liberty: Democracy, Reason, and the Laws of Nature

by Timothy Ferris

Book Overview

"Ferris is a master analogist who conveys his insights on the history of cosmology with a lyrical flair." -- The New York Times Book Review In The Science of Liberty , award-winning author Timothy Ferris--called "the best popular science writer in the English language today" by the Christian Science Monitor and "the best science writer of his generation" by the Washington Post --makes a passionate case for science as the inspiration behind the rise...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060781505
• ISBN13: 9780060781507
• Release Date: February 2010
• Publisher: Harper
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 1.26 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Read it!

This is an instant classic. A historical survey of science, philosophy and politics with the thesis that the scientific empirical, experimental approach is the fountainhead of progress and liberal democracy. Did you know that most of our founding fathers were not only philosophers but also scientists? Very well written, full of interesting stories, it is also a great defense of freedom and science.

Should be a required textbook in Texas and everywhere.

NOTE and EDIT: My initial review focused on how this book might be used to educate and enlighten the American populace and help head-off a number of troubling developments in politics, education and religion. But the author takes a much larger view than that, helping me understand for the first time ever the differences and relationships between Liberalism, Conservatism and Progressivism in American politics first and then expanding the view to encompass the entire history of worldwide political systems, to include Communism, Fascism, and modern-day Islamism, all of which are anti-liberal, anti-scientific and anti-democratic Totalitarian systems. Both conservatism and progressivism are equidistant from Liberalism and Totalitarianism and so can be pulled either way; unfortunately, world history records that several anti-Enlightenment philosophies have successfully produced strong drives toward Totalitarianism rather than Liberalism, actual events that have had dire consequences for the world. Islamism is nothing if not Totalitarian, and currently takes on much of the worst of Marxist and Fascist ideology. And although Mr. Ferris didn't mention it, the same trends can be observed in today's growing Christian Dominionist movements in both the American public and the military, as it sucks in large numbers of conservatives. The good news is that liberal democracy has weathered every storm; the bad news is that forces of intolerance, authoritarian bigotry and enforced ignorance are on the march in America and I fear our foundations of liberty are in store for yet another costly test. Perhaps there is still time for an enlightened citizenry to stand up and say, "No!" This book should become the most widely-read book of the century, both here in America and abroad. This is a Pulitzer-level work, written in a very understandable style that should be accessible to just about everyone. ***** Original review follows... The most insidious things happening in American politics today are those seemingly based on complete ignorance (genuine or willful) of the Enlightenment principles upon which our form of government was established. We have politicians lining up for the highest offices in the nation while making public pronouncements that amount to a self-serving, do-it-yourself and blatantly bogus history of the American Experiment. There are likewise no shortages of current political philosophies based on the myth of the "noble savage", as outlined in the imaginations of Rousseau and others. Far from trying to "return our nation to its Christian roots", the nation as a whole could benefit greatly by making a sincere effort to remember (or learn for the first time) the true story of the foundations of American democracy. Such a thing is possible and this book is a great place to begin. Want the Truth? A fact seemingly forgotten by theocratic and other zealots actively engaged in rewriting American history for their own gain or the assumed gain

As science spreads, so will democracy..."one funeral at a time"

One of George W. Bush's decidedly lessor known quotes is perhaps his most interesting, specifically: "As democracy spreads, so will peace." While the course of history does seem idiosyncratic, one cannot help but wonder whether the Bush quote, along with the similar sounding Ferris thesis that is the subject of this book are more than mere pleasant myths. In his usual compelling style, Ferris takes us on a 291 page journey through history and philosophy showing that where societies have been more committed to democratic principles, they've also been conducive to the same type of culture that fosters investigatory science. Namely, they topple the sacred cows that questions may find their own answers through empirical testing. Good science does seem to require free and open discussion and it also does seem to have a corrosive effect on artificially imposed authority. As I read this book, I couldn't help but remember the Thomas Kuhn masterpiece, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. Interestingly enough, while Kuhn embraced many of the high sounding ideas about the scientific ideal Ferris discusses in this book, he also reminded readers of the very real human limitations of the scientists who actually advance the course of science. Importantly, Kuhn observed that as they grew older, even scientists would become regid in their application of old rules. He suggested that science proceeded "one funeral at a time" in that sometimes it required the death of greatly respected scientists in order for new ideas to get their fair hearing. What this means is that maybe there's something inherent and significant about this "one funeral at a time" rule. Perhaps, as I suggested earlier, Ferris' "mere pleasant myth" is true but maybe even the course of scientific progress has its own speed limit, its Kuhn limit. Regardless of the foregoing, this is a great, thought provoking book, a view of history through the lens of science. Like all of Ferris' work, I'd highly recommend it, as always, being great food for thought.

A non - expert reader's word of approval

The central thesis of this work which connects scientific method and research with political democracy and liberalism is one which seems to me right. The non- authoritarian character of science, the focus on experiment and testing by empirical reality, the valuing of individual freedom, and willingness to make use of all potential talent, the capacity for self- correction, the remarkable power and capacity of Science and Technology to transform the world and improve the human condition, seem to fit well with the emphasis on Democracy, political freedom,individual liberty. Ferris' argument as I understand it is even stronger for he does not see a complementary connection only but also a causative one. The scientific mind and temperament of the Founding Fathers of the American Republic is contrasted with the authoritarian mind - set of absolutist French Revolutionaries. In a sense Ferris is getting at here an idea which has been developed at least in some degree by thinkers diverse as Karl Popper and Eric Hoffer, There is an opposition between the closed- minded fixed answer way of seeing the world and the open- minded experimental way. The latter is the way of the democracies and the former is the way of the Totalitarians whether they be in the political world or in the academic. In all this I see Ferris as on the side of the angels. I do not know enough to really either defend or take issue with the body of his historical story. I too tend to sympathize with his strong critique of the Post- Modern nonsensists, But I do wonder and am troubled by where Humanity as a whole now is in relation to the developments which have been described. Does the rise of scientific researches which involve very vast collaborative efforts really make room still for the work of individual genius? Have we perhaps reached a stage in Scientific Development where the individual creator is necessarily going to be marginalized, especially as there is work to create kinds of machine- minds which many believe will have powers far beyond the human? Is the fairly rosy picture of increasing Democracy politically really what is happening in the world, or is still a relatively small part of humanity which has true liberty and is involved in the truly creative scientific work? While clearly the argument for the overall benefit of scientific and technological progress of humanity is strong, there are also those possibilities and scenarios which indicate how through scientific and technical means mankind has done and will do incredible harm not only to the terrestial environment but to the very essence of what humanity is? Briefly, it seems to me nothing is guaranteed . Francis Fukyama was a bit optimistic. And whether mankind will move in the direction of increased knowledge increased well- being and freedom is too a real question. It would be tragic for us all if the development traced here, the development of scientific progress and political freedom proves not to be a continuou

Ferris's best book by far

My enjoyment of science books has been sorely tempered by an allergy to dull writing. Academia, the source of most modern science, is infamous for precisely that. Years ago I discovered Timothy Ferris's "Coming of Age in the Milky Way" and loved his contagious sense of wonder, the dramatic narrative of our ongoing discovery of our place in the cosmos, and his lucid prose and ingenious analogies. I've been avidly reading his astronomy & cosmology books ever since. "The Science of Liberty" is arguably his best book: it has all his trademark eloquence and a vastly more relevant topic. But the huge popularity of his earlier books won't repeat here. Ferris has stepped from neutral ground onto a morally charged minefield to forcefully argue that individual liberty and scientific inquiry are historically and inseparably linked, and that together they form the principal engine of human progress. Any book taking a passionate and unequivocal moral stand will provoke loud protests from someone. Neither science nor liberty have historically lacked powerful and visible enemies: religions, monarchies, dictatorships, holy terrorists, etc. Their heirs won't be reading this book. The incandescently obvious success of (small "l") liberal democracies and scientists in improving human life on our planet has forced most of its modern adversaries underground--where they chip away at the basic assumptions of science and lobby for ever tighter limits on freedom. They will hate this book and you'll surely be hearing from some of them on this page. A prefatory note: The title isn't meant to imply that liberty or liberal governance is a science. The author means to show that science and liberty were siblings born of common parents. Much of the book details the intertwined emergence of human rights and scientific experimentation with original observations, and unusual examples. It reveals in anecdotes & capsule biographies the conspicuous overlap of in proponents of liberty and iconic early scientists--even the odd lapses of overlap. A paraphrase from Lewis Thomas sets a basic pillar of this thesis: "...the greatest discovery of modern science was of the dimensions, not of cosmic space and time, but of human ignorance." (My note: That perceived ignorance was enormous then, and is growing rather than shrinking. The notion that all worth knowing is already known is as old as humanity, and thrives today--not just in Waziristan.) The common ground of science and democracy is broad: the inherent messiness, the need for freedoms of association, speech, inquiry and press, the diffusion of authority through consensus, the permanent mutability of judgment. These are repellent to people who prefer direct acts of dictatorial intervention, unchallengeable moral axioms, or permanent (capital"T") Truths. We easily imagine the stereotype forms of this opposition, but Ferris extends his criticism of illiberal ideas beyond the usual suspects. Coercive agendas are r