In Defense of Scientism: An Insider's View of Science - Paperback

by Byron K. Jennings (Author)

This book is a series of short, perceptive and witty essays about science and how it works. The author, a long-time theoretical physicist and science administrator, shares his hard won insights about science gained from years of working in the trenches. The approach is eclectic with examples and quotes from a wide variety of sources. However, a unified view of science is presented, namely that science is simply the straightforward application of model building and testing against observation. The technique is applicable to all walks of life, hence the title of the book.

Author Biography

I am, by training, a theoretical nuclear physicist (Ph. D. McMaster University) and have spent time at the SUNY at Stoney Brook, the University of Regensburg, McGill University, the University of Toronto, and TRIUMF (Canada's national laboratory for particle and nuclear physics). At TRIUMF, I have been head of the theory group, deputy head of the Science Division, and am currently head of the Project Management office. As a scientist, I have about 150 research publications and have served on numerous review bodies in both Canada and the USA. I enjoy reading ISO management standards and mystery stories, and have a wife and daughter to keep me in line.