The New Humanists: Science at the Edge
Brockman, whose books includeThe Next Fifty Years: Science in the First Half of the Twenty-first Century(2002), founded the intellectual forum EDGE in 1988 (now on the Web at http://www.edge.org) to encourage scientists and humanities scholars to present work that exemplifies the growing synergy between what has for too long, and to society's detriment, been viewed as two separate, incompatible realms. Brockman now presents the fruits of his advocacy for the necessary intermeshing of the humanities and science in a lively, mind-expanding anthology of essays by EDGE participants. The need to separate science from politics and simplistic political correctness is avidly discussed amid compelling accounts of new questions raised and answers postulated in evolutionary biology, cosmology, cognition, and computer science by such rigorous thinkers as Jared Diamond, Steven Pinker, Daniel Dennett, Lee Smolin, and Seth Lloyd. As Brockman asserts, the work of humanistic scientists affects "the lives of everybody on the planet," and every reader should be well versed in their methodology, arguments, and conclusions.Donna SeamanCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved