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The Value of Science: Essential Writings of Henri Poincare (Modern Library Science)
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From the Inside Flap
y other writer of the twentieth century, Henri Poincaré brought the elegant, but often complicated, ideas about science and mathematics to the general reader. A genius who throughout his life solved complex mathematical calculations in his head, and a writer gifted with an inimitable style, Poincaré rose to the challenge of interpreting the philosophy of science to scientists and nonscientists alike. His lucid and welcoming prose made him the Carl Sagan of his time. This volume collects his three most important books: Science and Hypothesis (1903); The Value of Science (1905); and Science and Method (1908).
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About the Author
Henri Poincaré was born in Nancy, France, in 1854. He joined the University of Paris in 1881 and lectured and wrote extensively on mathematics, experimental physics, and astronomy. His books have been translated into dozens of languages. In 1908, he was elected to membership in the Academie Française, the highest honor that can be accorded a French writer. He died in 1912.Stephen Jay Gould is the Alexander Agassiz professor of zoology and professor of geology at Harvard and the Vincent Astor visiting professor of biology at New York University. Recent books include Full House, Dinosaur in a Haystack, and Questioning the Millennium. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and New York City.
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Product details
Series: Modern Library Science
Paperback: 608 pages
Publisher: Modern Library; First Edition edition (October 2, 2001)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0375758488
ISBN-13: 978-0375758485
Product Dimensions:
5.6 x 1.4 x 8.6 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review:
5.0 out of 5 stars
9 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
#978,857 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
We are in 1905, Poincaré just synthesized the value of science in one stunning sentence "If nature were not beautiful, it would not be worth knowing, and if nature were not worth knowing, life would not be worth living". Priceless! And there is much more. He was following closely the recent developments in both mathematics and physics. Even stating that mechanics was approaching a revolution. Quite right, theory of relativity was published in 1916. He also listed the difficulties of Hilbert-Russell-Whitehead trying to put mathematics on solid foundations. A "fruitless" effort that converged to Gödel's incompleteness theorems in 1931. Astronomy is also discussed. This book is long but Poincaré is sharp and thrilling, you may even have goosebumps sometimes.
How many books on science and math have you read and said: "I just couldn't put it down. It made me dwell on many of the things that I take for granted and it challenged or even changed some of my views"? I cannot think of many, but this comes immediately to mind as do some of Mr. Gould's books. Although not an elementary or introductory text (from a 21st century perspective) of the scientific method, it is a very eloquent discourse in the pitfalls of its application (or mis-application).
Excellent writing, but the emphasis is on physics.
Jules Henri Poincaré (1854-1912) was a French mathematician, theoretical physicist, engineer, and philosopher of science. He also wrote The Foundations of Science: Science and Hypothesis, The Value of Science, Science and Method, etc.He begins this 1905 book, “The search for truth should be the goal of our activities; it is the sole end worthy of them… But sometimes truth frightens us… Yet truth should not be feared, for it alone is beautiful. When I speak here of truth, assuredly I refer first to scientific truth; but I also mean moral truth, of which what we call justice is only one aspect… These two sorts of truth when discovered give the same joy; each when perceived beams with the same splendor, so that we must see it or close our eyes… I liken the two truths, because the same reasons make us love them and because the same reasons make us fear them. If we ought not to fear moral truth, still less should we fear scientific truth… Ethics and science have their own domains, which touch but do not interpenetrate. The one shows us to what goal we should aspire, the other … teaches us how to attain it. There can no more be immoral science than there can be scientific morals.†(Pg. 11-12)He suggests, “I have already had occasion to insist on the place intuition should hold in the teaching of the mathematical sciences. Without it young minds could not make a beginning in the understanding of mathematics; they could not learn to love it … without intuition they would never become capable of applying mathematics. But now I wish before all to speak of the role of intuition in science itself. If it is useful to the student, it is still more to the creative scientist.†(Pg. 21) He adds, “logic and intuition each have their necessary role. Each is indispensable. Logic, which alone can give us certainty, is the instrument of demonstration; intuition is the instrument of invention.†(Pg. 23)He summarizes: “We have not a direct intuition of simultaneity, nor of the equality of two durations. If we think we have this intuition, this is an illusion. We replace it by the aid of certain rules which we apply almost always without taking count of them… These rules are not imposed on us… but they could not be cast aside without greatly complicating the enunciation of the laws of physics, mechanics and astronomy. We therefore choose these rules, not because they are true, but because they are the most convenient…†(Pg. 35-36)He states, “Will it then be said that it is experience which teaches us that space has three dimensions, since it is in setting out from an experimental law that we have come to attribute three to it? But we have therein performed, so to speak, only an experiment in physiology; and as also it would suffice to fit over the eyes glasses of suitable construction to put an end to the accord between the feelings of convergence and of accommodation, are we to say that putting on spectacles is enough to make space have four dimensions and that the optician who constructed them has given one more dimension to space? Evidently not; all we can say is that experience has taught us that it is convenient to attribute three dimensions to space.†(Pg. 54)He argues, “If science did not succeed, it could not serve as a rule of action; whence would it get its value?... There is not escape from this dilemma; either science does not enable us to foresee, and then it is valueless as rule of action; or else it enables us to foresee in a fashion more or less imperfect, and then it is not without value as a means of knowledge. It should not even be said that action is the goal of science; should we condemn studies of the star Sirius, under pretext that we shall probably never exercise any influence on that star? To my eyes, on the contrary, it is the knowledge which is the end, and the action which is the means.†(Pg. 115)This book will be of considerable interest to students of the philosophy of science.
There are two kinds of people in the world: fans of Poincare's writings, and those who have never read his writings.Each of us fans have our favorite, and for me it is Science and Method. But no matter which of his books you connect with, it will become an addiction.After a few chapters you will find a sentence which you have seen before, and it is because Poincare is often quoted, but rarely cited. While these writings are over 100 years old, the questions he asks of himself and the reader are just as relevent today. In Science and Method he makes the argument that science for the sake of science has more value than science for the sake of business. And that even research which disproves a hypothesis has value, because the process of the scientific method will in itself yield a benefit they may not be apparent at the time.And the really profound part is that discovery simply for the sake of commerce has very little benefit on society as a whole, since it is not shared with other researchers.I am doing a poor job of paraphrasing, but you get the point.His writing style is an easy read even today.Well worth the price.
As other reviewers have written, Henri Poincaré was one of the truly great geniuses that mankind produced. Besides being one of the greatest mathematicians of all time he was also a gifted writer and science popularizer, like Carl Sagan seven decades later. Here we can find something of what Poincaré wrote for the general (albeit educated) public. The texts are one century old and much of the subject matter is outdated, but the essence, what really matters, is still there as valid today as it was when Poincaré put it in words. Great book by a great and deep thinker.
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