THE PURSUIT OF DESTINY: A HISTORY OF PREDICTION
BY PAUL HALPERN
Many centuries ago, in their quest to unravel the future, mystics aspired to decipher the cries of birds, the patterns of the stars and the garbled utterances of oracles. Kings and generals would offer precious rewards for the information soothsayers furnished. Today, though predictive methods are vastly different from those of the ancient world, the advanced knowledge these techniques attempt to provide are ever more valued. From weather reports to stock market prediction, and from medical prognoses to social forecasting, superior insights about the shape of things to come have become increasingly prized commodities.
The Pursuit of Destiny documents the great strides science has made in prediction. Yet it also points out science's newly discovered limitations. Godel's theorem, Heisenberg's uncertainly principle, chaos theory and other mathematical insights have shown us how our knowledge of the world might never be complete because we, as observers, are integral parts of what we observe. Furthermore, as studies of strange topologies in general relativity have demonstrated, advanced information about the future--if possible--could lead to paradoxical situations. Today, scientists debate the meaning and possible resolution of such conundrums.
The Pursuit of Destiny examines the
frontiers of
both scientific and non-scientific images of tomorrow. Are you curious
about
what science has to say about Nostradamus,
the Bible
Code and the Oracle of
REVIEWERS' QUOTES:
"An evocative
book that
traces the predictive efforts of science and other disciplines from
ancient
-Wall Street Journal
"Halpern has written a grand overview
of
the universe of scientific knowledge and its progression through the
ages."
-Alice Wells, Weekly Press
"...you will find Paul Halpern's
study of prediction fascinating."
-Infodad's Independent Reviews
"A readable survey of what modern
science
offers for predicting the future..."
-Skeptic Bibliography
"A richly entertaining and
informative work
that draws heavily on the author's ample reserves of knowledge and wit."
-Rob Lightner, Amazon.com
"This incisive and revealing survey of prediction, both as it has been determined in the past and how we perceive it scientifically today, is a smartly compartmentalized analysis of an intriguing part of humankind. Halpern's book is an expressive and articulate testament to people's insatiable appetite to understand their existence, accept their limitations, and foresee their future."
-Dominic J. Caraccilo, Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith
OTHER QUOTES:
"...Great book.
I am enjoying it immensely."
-Martin Gardner, author of The Whys of a Philosophical Scrivener
"Halpern leads the reader on a
wondrous
trip through the landscape of science at the dawn of the 21st century
as he
explores the successes and limitations of the human ability to predict
the
future."
-Harry Shipman, author of Black Holes, Quasars and the Universe
CONTENTS:
Introduction: The Shape of Things to Come
Chapter One: Ancient Auguries
Chapter Two: The Lathe of
Chapter Three: Light Flights: The Einsteinian Future
Chapter Four: Rolls of the Dice: The Quantum Future
Chapter Five: Change in the Weather: Chaos and Prediction
Chapter Six: The Body Electric: Complexity and Living Systems
Chapter Seven: The Roar of Tomorrow: Social and Technological Forecasting
Chapter Eight: Time's Terminus: Visions of the Far Future
Conclusion: Frontiers of Prediction
About the Author:
Paul Halpern is Professor of Physics at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, and is the author of many trade science books, including Time Journeys, Cosmic Wormholes, The Cyclical Serpent and The Quest for Alien Planets. He has recently been awarded a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship for his research.
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