John C. Madden

The Davey Dialogues: an Exploration of the Scientific Foundations of Human Culture John C. Madden 1st edition

Linking Science and Science History with Culture - Essential Science for the Non-scientist
The central message in this book is that we are most fortunate to live at a time when, perhaps for the first time ever, we can delight in a coherent story about us and our universe. What the physicists and the philosophers, the economists and the ecologists, the anthropologists and the animal behaviouralists, the religious historians, the neuroscientists and the biochemists are telling us by and large falls into place to provide a consistent story of the development of our universe and of humanity. Of course the story is not yet complete. There is much more yet to discover and understand, but the outlines are there in ample detail.
On a hike one glorious day, Peter encounters a disembodied voice. The voice asks him for help: it wants to understand more about humans, the planet they live on, and what they know about themselves and their universe. Though he hesitates, Peter agrees to help the alien voice, thus beginning a series of dialogues that not only helps the voice (whom Peter names Davey), but also provides Peter with some new perspectives on our scientific heritage.
As a result, this record of the dialogues provides background on the historical development of carefully selected scientific topics which are important to our understanding of ourselves and our surroundings. Amongst the questions discussed are: What do we know about our universe and how did we find out? How do we know how old it is, and, for that matter, how far individual stars and galaxies are? How might life have originated? How does life replicate and change over time? To what extent do our brains resemble computers? How do we remember faces, facts and figures, and how do we think laterally? Do we have a free will? What is happiness and how can we maximize it? How did religion evolve and why?
"[A] rich, intelligent . . important book . . . clearly written." J. Fraser Mustard, CC, Founding President, The Canadian Institute for Advanced Research
For more information please visit the web site at: www.thedaveydialogues.com