Unweaving the Rainbow: Science, Delusion and the Appetite for Wonder
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Did Newton "unweave the rainbow" by reducing it to its prismatic colors, as Keats contended? Did he, in other words, diminish beauty? Far from it, says acclaimed scientist Richard Dawkins; Newton's unweaving is the key to much of modern astronomy and to the breathtaking poetry of modern cosmology. Mysteries don't lose their poetry because they are solved: the solution often is more beautiful than the puzzle, uncovering deeper mysteries. With the wit, insight, and spellbinding prose that have made him a best-selling author, Dawkins takes up the most important and compelling topics in modern science, from astronomy and genetics to language and virtual reality, combining them in a landmark statement of the human appetite for wonder.
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This is the book Richard Dawkins was meant to write: a brilliant assessment of what science is (and isn't), a tribute to science not because it is useful but because it is uplifting.
Liked Unweaving the Rainbow: Science, Delusion and the Appetite for Wonder? Here’s where I’d start.
These suit anyone who liked Unweaving the Rainbow: Science, Delusion and the Appetite for Wonder. Sign in and mark a few books for picks shaped around your own taste.
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What We Believe But Cannot Prove: Today's Leading Thinkers on Science in the Age of Certainty Shares science, nonfiction, philosophy -
Broca's Brain: Reflections on the Romance of Science Shares science, nonfiction, philosophy -
Evolution: The Triumph of an Idea Shares science, nonfiction, biology -
Why Darwin Matters: The Case Against Intelligent Design Shares science, nonfiction, evolution
“People who read Unweaving the Rainbow: Science, Delusion and the Appetite for Wonder tend to reach for these next.”
“If you want more of the same (science about religion), start with these.”
“If it was the evolution that hooked you, try one of these.”
“These start from a similar idea, even if they go somewhere else with it.”
- After the first three Minutes
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The Accelerating Universe: Infinite Expansion, the Cosmological Constant, and the Beauty of the Cosmos
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Lost Discoveries: The Ancient Roots of Modern Science--from the Babylonians to the Maya
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For the Love of Physics: From the End of the Rainbow to the Edge of Time: A Journey Through the Wonders of Physics