Anaximander and the birth of science

Theoretical physicist Rovelli (There Are Places in the World Where Rules Are Less Important than Kindness) delivers an insightful survey of the scientific contributions of Greek philosopher Anaximander (610--545 BCE). Anaximander, Rovelli contends, generated the "first great conceptual revolution" in science by proposing naturalistic explanations of the universe that refuted common accounts relying on gods and myths. According to Anaximander, the cosmic order came into existence after "hot and cold separated," causing a "ball of flame" to amass around the Earth and dry up the water that originally covered the planet. Though some theories will sound outlandish to modern readers (Anaximander thought that celestial bodies moved on giant wheels "filled with fire"), others are impressively forward-thinking, such as Anaximander's suggestion that Earth is suspended in a void and humans evolved from "fishlike creatures" that adapted to live on land. As Rovelli notes, the only surviving accounts of Anaximander's writings are secondhand, meaning that definitive evidence about his life and work is hard to come by, but Rovelli makes the most of the available evidence in building his case that the philosopher's emphasis on natural causes marked a sea change in human thought. This is a masterful overview of a pivotal figure in scientific history. (Feb.)

A theoretical physicist examines an obscure Greek philosopher and maintains that he was the first modern scientific thinker. Rovelli, author of Seven Brief Lessons in Physics and other bestsellers, reminds readers that until the scientific revolution, all cultures explained natural phenomena "solely in mythical and religious terms: as manifestations of incomprehensible forces attributed to divine beings." Born in 610 B.C.E., 200 years before the golden age of Plato and Pericles, Anaximander, writes Rovelli, "succeeded in changing the old understanding of space, transforming the world from a closed box with the Heavens above and the Earth below to an open space in which Earth floats." In reality, the old view persisted in the popular mind until a few centuries ago. Even heavyweight Greek philosophers considered Anaximander controversial but took him seriously enough to quote him, so scholars can piece together a sketchy image of his ideas. Other wise men taught that objects fall, so the Earth must also "fall." Since it obviously didn't, there must be something holding it up (Atlas, columns, etc.). Anaximander maintained that objects fall toward the Earth, so there's no reason for the Earth itself to fall. In addition to his biography of Anaximander, Rovelli, a renowned philosopher, turns to defending science, writing that it exists because we are ignorant, and its purpose is to explain how the world works. "With each new discovery, the world changes before our eyes," he writes. "We come to know and see it in a dif-ferent and better way." Regardless of the truths provided by scientific experimentation, a majority of people believe that a divine presence "plays, or at least played, a founding role in the very existence of reality, in the justification of power, and in the establishment of morality." There is also a persistent, hypereducated minority who maintain that truth is culturally determined, making all ideas equally worthy. As usual, Rovelli communicates his ideas with clarity and verve. Solid insights into the foundations of science. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.