The scope of modern science is so vast and complex that no one person can have a deep understanding of all topics. Should you wish for the best available summary between two covers, reach for The Frontiers of Knowledge by Anthony Grayling (A.C. Grayling).
In very recent times humanity has learnt a great deal about the universe, the past, and itself. But through our remarkable successes in acquiring knowledge we have learned how much remains unknown.
It is only in recent decades that we have become convinced of the existence of dark matter and dark energy (between them thought to constitute 95% of the universe); pre-history is still being revealed, with thousands of historical sites yet to be explored; and the new neurosciences of mind and brain are effectively in their infancy.
What do we know, and how do we know it? What are the unknowns? What have we learnt about the obstacles to knowing more? In a time of deepening battles over what knowledge and truth mean, these questions are vital.
Polymath philosopher Anthony Grayling seeks to answer these questions in three crucial areas at the frontiers of knowledge: science, history and psychology. A remarkable history of science, life on earth, and the human mind itself, this is a compelling and fascinating tour de force, written with verve, clarity and remarkable breadth of understanding.
Anthony Grayling is Master of the New College of the Humanities, and a Supernumerary Fellow of St Anne’s College, Oxford. Until 2011 he was Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London. He has written and edited over thirty books on philosophy and other subjects; among his most recent are ‘The Good Book‘, ‘Ideas That Matter‘, ‘Liberty in the Age of Terror‘ and ‘To Set Prometheus Free‘. For several years he wrote the ‘Last Word‘ column for the Guardian newspaper and a column for the Times. He is a frequent contributor to the Literary Review, Observer, Independent on Sunday, Times Literary Supplement, Index on Censorship and New Statesman, and is an equally frequent broadcaster on BBC Radios 4, 3 and the World Service.
Check if this impressive summary of human knowledge is in stock at your local library by consulting the online catalogue here Home | South Lanarkshire Libraries (sllclibrary.co.uk)
432 pages in Viking
First published 2021
ISBN-13 : 978-0241304563
A.C. Grayling