Bedeviled: A Shadow History of Demons in Science

Scientists have used imaginary entities, such as demons, to test the laws of nature and push the frontiers of what is possible. This shadow history of science reveals how the greatest scientific thinkers used demons to explore problems, test the limits of what is possible, and better understand nature, unlocking the secrets of entropy, heredity, relativity, quantum mechanics, and other scientific wonders. These demons continue to inspire breakthroughs in computer science, artificial intelligence, and economics today.

\n Format: Hardback
\n Length: 416 pages
\n Publication date: 10 November 2020
\n Publisher: Princeton University Press
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Science has a long history of using imaginary entities, such as demons, to test the laws of nature and push the boundaries of what is possible. While superstition has been banished from the modern world, a new kind of demon has emerged in the scientific imagination. Scientists have begun to employ hypothetical beings to perform certain roles in thought experiments, which can only be done in the imagination. These impish assistants have helped scientists achieve major breakthroughs that have pushed forward the frontiers of science and technology.

Spanning four centuries of discovery, from René Descartes to James Clerk Maxwell, Darwin, Einstein, Feynman, and beyond, Jimena Canales tells a shadow history of science and the demons that bedevil it. She reveals how the greatest scientific thinkers used demons to explore problems, test the limits of what is possible, and better understand nature. Their imaginary familiars helped unlock the secrets of entropy, heredity, relativity, quantum mechanics, and other scientific wonders, and continue to inspire breakthroughs in the realms of computer science, artificial intelligence, and economics today.

While the world may no longer be haunted as it once was, the demons of the scientific imagination are alive and well, continuing to play a vital role in scientists' efforts to explore the unknown and make the impossible real. Science has a long history of using imaginary entities, such as demons, to test the laws of nature and push the boundaries of what is possible. While superstition has been banished from the modern world, a new kind of demon has emerged in the scientific imagination. Scientists have begun to employ hypothetical beings to perform certain roles in thought experiments, which can only be done in the imagination. These impish assistants have helped scientists achieve major breakthroughs that have pushed forward the frontiers of science and technology.

Spanning four centuries of discovery, from René Descartes to James Clerk Maxwell, Darwin, Einstein, Feynman, and beyond, Jimena Canales tells a shadow history of science and the demons that bedevil it. She reveals how the greatest scientific thinkers used demons to explore problems, test the limits of what is possible, and better understand nature. Their imaginary familiars helped unlock the secrets of entropy, heredity, relativity, quantum mechanics, and other scientific wonders, and continue to inspire breakthroughs in the realms of computer science, artificial intelligence, and economics today.

While the world may no longer be haunted as it once was, the demons of the scientific imagination are alive and well, continuing to play a vital role in scientists' efforts to explore the unknown and make the impossible real. Science has a long history of using imaginary entities, such as demons, to test the laws of nature and push the boundaries of what is possible. While superstition has been banished from the modern world, a new kind of demon has emerged in the scientific imagination. Scientists have begun to employ hypothetical beings to perform certain roles in thought experiments, which can only be done in the imagination. These impish assistants have helped scientists achieve major breakthroughs that have pushed forward the frontiers of science and technology.

Spanning four centuries of discovery, from René Descartes to James Clerk Maxwell, Darwin, Einstein, Feynman, and beyond, Jimena Canales tells a shadow history of science and the demons that bedevil it. She reveals how the greatest scientific thinkers used demons to explore problems, test the limits of what is possible, and better understand nature. Their imaginary familiars helped unlock the secrets of entropy, heredity, relativity, quantum mechanics, and other scientific wonders, and continue to inspire breakthroughs in the realms of computer science, artificial intelligence, and economics today.

While the world may no longer be haunted as it once was, the demons of the scientific imagination are alive and well, continuing to play a vital role in scientists' efforts to explore the unknown and make the impossible real. Science has a long history of using imaginary entities, such as demons, to test the laws of nature and push the boundaries of what is possible. While superstition has been banished from the modern world, a new kind of demon has emerged in the scientific imagination. Scientists have begun to employ hypothetical beings to perform certain roles in thought experiments, which can only be done in the imagination. These impish assistants have helped scientists achieve major breakthroughs that have pushed forward the frontiers of science and technology.

Spanning four centuries of discovery, from René Descartes to James Clerk Maxwell, Darwin, Einstein, Feynman, and beyond, Jimena Canales tells a shadow history of science and the demons that bedevil it. She reveals how the greatest scientific thinkers used demons to explore problems, test the limits of what is possible, and better understand nature. Their imaginary familiars helped unlock the secrets of entropy, heredity, relativity, quantum mechanics, and other scientific wonders, and continue to inspire breakthroughs in the realms of computer science, artificial intelligence, and economics today.

\n Weight: 764g\n
Dimension: 166 x 243 x 37 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9780691175324\n \n