Beauty and the beast
Subtitle: the aesthetic moment in science
By: Ernst Peter Fischer ; translated from German by Elizabeth Oehlkers.
Publisher: Plenum Press; Springer
Published: 1999
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 216
Subjects: Science -- Aesthetics
Description: In this engaging treatise, science historian Dr. Ernst Peter Fischer puts forth a convincing appeal to both the public and scientists, urging us to reconsider the way we arrive at the truth in science. Encouraging us to approach science with all our senses, Fischer posits a universal aesthetic sense that spurs our imagination and leads it to profound revelations about human and cosmic nature.

He delves into the lives of major thinkers and scientists from Bacon to Watson and Crick, pinpointing how they have been guided by their instinct and individual sense of beauty in the pursuit of knowledge. Showing how the aesthetic delights of thought, analysis, research, and discovery are leading components of the scientific mind and process, he examines everything from snowflakes to the overall makeup of the space-time continuum. He explores these concepts and others including the golden mean, evolution, symmetry in nature, as well as imaginary numbers and irrationality as proof of beauty in science.

He presents truth as a state of beauty - and beauty as the embodiment of truth. This book will appeal to lay people and scientists alike.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.