Review by Booklist Review
Occam's razor, "Do not multiply entities beyond necessity," is more than just a useful tool. McFadden believes it's the key that unlocked the potential of modern science. More than a search for truth, science is a search for simplicity, where every major paradigm shift leads to a simplification of our understanding of the cosmos. McFadden places the Franciscan friar William of Occam in the historical context of the fourteenth century, exploring the religious and intellectual culture that gave rise to his philosophy. He then traces how his eponymous razor, ideas of nominalism, and his insistence on the separation of science from religion influenced the subsequent course of science in the Western world. From Copernicus, Galileo, and da Vinci to Darwin, Einstein, and Planck, encompassing mathematics, physics, statistics, and biology, Occam set us on a path to seek simpler solutions. As it turns out, simplicity appears to be a bedrock of our universe. This is a compelling assessment of an idea many of us know but few deeply understand. William's legacy is one for the ages.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
McFadden (genetics, Univ. of Surrey; Quantum Evolution) elucidates Occam's Razor, a bedrock scientific principle, which says the simplest explanation that accounts for all known facts is the better one. When the concept was coined by a 14th-century friar, Occam's Razor referred to removing philosophy and science from the influence of religion. After Occam, McFadden argues, revolutionary thinkers abandoned their era's accepted theories, which had become cluttered with correctives meant to account for new data and instrumentation. He surveys the effect on centuries of global scientific progress, including the research of 19th-century Indigenous Guahibo scientists on the plains of Venezuela and of Renaissance-era European scientists. Occam's Razor often requires a shift in perspective (for example, from an Earth-centered universe to a Sun-centered one), simplifying processes and predictions, McFadden argues; therefore Occam underpins paradigm shifts in the natural sciences, is integral to the scientific method, and drives the quest for Grand Unified Theories. VERDICT In a conspiracy-laden world, McFadden's argument, that simple explanations hold true, will appeal to historians and the scientifically minded.--Wade Lee-Smith, Univ. of Toledo Lib.
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
The profound influence of Occam's razor on the development of science, from astronomy to zoology. Occam's razor, the brainchild of Franciscan friar William of Occam, states that "entities should not be multiplied beyond necessity." Models, theories, and hypotheses should be shaved to their essentials--keep it simple. "Simplicity," writes McFadden in this meaty, historically colorful account, "is…what separates science from the myriad other ways of making sense of the world." Indeed, simplicity "is not just a tool of science alongside experimentation, it is as central to science as numbers are to mathematics or notes to music." The author follows the razor through "a selective account of key ideas and innovations that exemplify its importance and illustrate its use." With flair and accessibility, McFadden walks readers through Occam's many intellectually revolutionary ideas, from his refusal to multiply Aristotle's universals to his disagreement with Thomas Aquinas over the scientific nature of theology. For Occam, hypotheses were provisional and probabilistic, vulnerable to disproof. He was also a believer in apostolic poverty and felt that greed gave rise to the subjective right of ownership, then laws to protect ownership, and then rulers to enforce the laws of ownership, thus perverting the natural state that should guide the human condition. (This section features particularly illuminating and vivid writing.) Occam did not insist that the world was simple, nor that all simplicities are the same; rather, when we engage in reasoning about a particular scenario, we should not multiply the various aspects involved "beyond necessity." McFadden also smoothly integrates elements of spirituality into his historical discussion, from Franciscan beliefs to the philosophy of Copernicus, "whose trust in simplicity was well rewarded," writes the author. "With Occam's razor in hand, even mystics, like Copernicus, could find the path toward modern science." A dense, provocative, and satisfying foray into the history of science. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
