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Science in context, vol. 1 no. 1
for someone approaching the challenges of sampling for the first time. The only drawback with a book which is comprehensive in scope, is that the reader may end up wanting more detail on the specialist areas. Sediment sampling, for example, is given only a cursory assessmentand the surface water sampling focusses almost entirely on rivers, with little attention given to lake environments. This text will be valuable to the teaching of environmental science (particularly for undergraduate and postgraduate theses planning) and should also provide a useful reference text for the practising professional. Kathleen Lacey
Climate Shocks: Natural and Anthropogenic. Edited by K. Ya. Kondratyev. Translated by A. P. Kostrova. Pp. 296. Wiley, Chichester. 1988. f47.50.
The book is the second in the Wiley series on Climate and the Biosphere, and is a translated and edited version of the book published in Russian about two years earlier. It is however not out-of-date, containing an additional chapter of recent studies and references. Whether the book is worth the price is another question. Most aspects of recent climatic change and the effects of nuclear war are covered, but the structure does not make for easy reading. There is a distinct lack of coherency, particularly in the section on the climatic effects of volcanic eruptions. The section on nuclear war effects is well written and presents a critical appraisal of the field, coming down heavily against Edward Teller’s ideas about nuclear war. The related discussion on the Tunguska event in Siberia in 1908 is especially interesting. It is a pity that the critical nature of this section did not extend to those on climate. The relatively equal numbers of Soviet and Western references makes refreshing reading compared to the usual percentage of Soviet references we see. One pays for this, however, with typical hand-drawn Russian diagrams. In summary, the book is worth reading but is probably overpriced. P. D. Jones
Particles and Paradoxes: The Limits of Quantum Logic. By Peter Gibbins. Pp. 181. Cambridge University Press. 1987. Hardback f25.00, Paperback f8.95.
Quantum logic (QL) is one of several disciplines which attempt to abstract features of quantum mechanics (QM), a very successful predictive theory; one would then expect QM -and QL- to have something to say about the way the world is. The present monograph, devoted to these matters, is written by a philosopher for - mainly - other philosophers. An introduction on ‘meta-physics’ is followed by a short chapter on elementary QM. Three chapters follow on the history of wave-particle duality, and the QM, Copenhagen interpretation; this is followed
194
by another on advanced topics in QM. A chapter on projection postulates is followed by one on hidden variables, nonlocality, and Bell’s inequalities. Finally, two highly technical chapters on quantum logic end the book. It is very well written, with a sharp style which, at its best, is very attractive. Alas, there are some crucial misprints: on p. 94, the Greek letter Y is used to indicate disjunction; on p. 115, the key word ‘not’ is missing in the first paragraph, making the whole argument nonsensical. Similarly, on p.118, second paragraph, the word ‘nonlocality’ should be ‘locality’. The mathematics around pp. 9&99 also suffers from misprints. The main thesis of the book is somewhat pessimistic: quantum logic is not very useful to discuss realism. There is no mention of other versions of QL, with richer mathematical structures, such as the one well presented in ‘The Logic of Quantum Mechanics’ by Beltrametti and Cassinelli (Addison-Wesley, 1981), which incorporates probability measures on orthomodula posets and lattices. No mention either of the work by Mittelstaedt on QL, and Stachow on the QL of compound systems, which may throw light on EPR and similar ‘paradoxes’. In spite of these reservations, this is a valuable monograph, well-written, and bound to be of interest to many. J. E. Rubio
Science in Context, Vol. 1 No. 1. Edited by C. Freudenthal (Executive Editor); R. S. Choen, Y. Elkana, and S. Schaffer (Editors). Pp. 197. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. 1987. Twice-yearly. Subscription f33.00 (institutions); f 19.00 (individuals).
Many practising scientists have little interest in meta-science or the science of science, beyond a brief acquaintance with ‘Scientific Method’ which 20th century philosophers tell them is how 19th century scientists went about their work. Unfortunately they didn’t and still don’t. Science is above all a creative process on a par with engineering, writing, painting, composing, architecture, etc. and the forces which drive it arise from, and interact with, contemporary society, with timeliness being of the essence in the acceptibility of the ideas developed. Science in Context addresses the scientific process from an essentially philosophical point of view, on the far side, as it were, of the history of science. At the present time the history of science is under great pressure, with universities leaving professorships vacant to help balance their budgets. It is a truism that the outcome of genuine research cannot be predicted and it is unfortunate that the processes involved in the interaction of scientists and the community at large are not better understood. A fundamental plank of science is, of course, measurement, and the measurement of the previously unmeasurable, and increasingly its application in ‘soft’ science. Science in Context would be more in con-
text if it reached out of its scholarly philosophical enclave to embrace a wider public who would welcome a contribution to a better understanding of the world and the human condition, J. H. Milner The Evolution of Relativity. Edited by Christopher Ray. Pp. 211. Adam Hilger, Bristol. 7987. f29.50.
Although the title of this book might lead the reader to anticipate a discussion of the history of the development of relativity theory, the author’s interests are largely philosophical. In the first chapter he introduces ‘Mach’s principle’ as part of a clear and highly readable account of Mach’s philosophical response to idealized versions of Newton’s famous ‘rotating bucket’ and ‘two globes’ experiments. In the three chapters that follow he discussesthe role of Machian ideas within relativity theory and its implications for ‘absolutist’ and ‘relationalist’ theories of space and time, the concept of ‘simplicity’ as a guiding principle in the development of physical theories, and the foundationally problematic relationship between ‘classical’ and ‘quantum’ relativity. In the tinal chapter Ray broadens the discussionby surveying the implications of his case study in the evolution of relativity for modern philosophical accounts of the nature of science and scientific progress. This survey, together with the exceptionally clear discussion of many difficult technical and philosophical issues in physics, should make the book particularly valuable to students of the philosophy of science. But despite his forcefully argued claim that the General Theory of Relativity cannot be straightforwardly defined as a series of theoretical propositions, but is better described as a ‘dynamic, evolving theoretical context’, Ray does not recognize the existence of broader social dimensions to the practice of physics which may hold potential solutions to some of the most important problems identified - but not resolved-in the book. Andrew Warwick
Text Document Processing in Science and Technology. By Robert Ranson. Pp. 239. Wiley, Chichester. 1987. Paperback f 12.95.
An enormous growth in publications has accompanied the computer technology boom. In some casesthese publications are a necessary evil arising from the incomprehensible user support provided by both hardware and software manufacturers. In other cases, they provide a deeper awareness of a particular item of hardware or software so that the user can exploit its full potential. There are then those publications which provide general reviews to help a potential purchaser choose from the available mass of alternative options in order best to fulfil their objectives. This book by Ranson falls, if anywhere, into this last category and, for this reason, I found it slightly frustrating. Ranson unashamedly admits his preference for the
Climate Shocks: Natural and Anthropogenic. Edited by K. Ya. Kondratyev. Translated by A. P. Kostrova. Pp. 296. Wiley, Chichester. 1988. f47.50.
The book is the second in the Wiley series on Climate and the Biosphere, and is a translated and edited version of the book published in Russian about two years earlier. It is however not out-of-date, containing an additional chapter of recent studies and references. Whether the book is worth the price is another question. Most aspects of recent climatic change and the effects of nuclear war are covered, but the structure does not make for easy reading. There is a distinct lack of coherency, particularly in the section on the climatic effects of volcanic eruptions. The section on nuclear war effects is well written and presents a critical appraisal of the field, coming down heavily against Edward Teller’s ideas about nuclear war. The related discussion on the Tunguska event in Siberia in 1908 is especially interesting. It is a pity that the critical nature of this section did not extend to those on climate. The relatively equal numbers of Soviet and Western references makes refreshing reading compared to the usual percentage of Soviet references we see. One pays for this, however, with typical hand-drawn Russian diagrams. In summary, the book is worth reading but is probably overpriced. P. D. Jones
Particles and Paradoxes: The Limits of Quantum Logic. By Peter Gibbins. Pp. 181. Cambridge University Press. 1987. Hardback f25.00, Paperback f8.95.
Quantum logic (QL) is one of several disciplines which attempt to abstract features of quantum mechanics (QM), a very successful predictive theory; one would then expect QM -and QL- to have something to say about the way the world is. The present monograph, devoted to these matters, is written by a philosopher for - mainly - other philosophers. An introduction on ‘meta-physics’ is followed by a short chapter on elementary QM. Three chapters follow on the history of wave-particle duality, and the QM, Copenhagen interpretation; this is followed
194
by another on advanced topics in QM. A chapter on projection postulates is followed by one on hidden variables, nonlocality, and Bell’s inequalities. Finally, two highly technical chapters on quantum logic end the book. It is very well written, with a sharp style which, at its best, is very attractive. Alas, there are some crucial misprints: on p. 94, the Greek letter Y is used to indicate disjunction; on p. 115, the key word ‘not’ is missing in the first paragraph, making the whole argument nonsensical. Similarly, on p.118, second paragraph, the word ‘nonlocality’ should be ‘locality’. The mathematics around pp. 9&99 also suffers from misprints. The main thesis of the book is somewhat pessimistic: quantum logic is not very useful to discuss realism. There is no mention of other versions of QL, with richer mathematical structures, such as the one well presented in ‘The Logic of Quantum Mechanics’ by Beltrametti and Cassinelli (Addison-Wesley, 1981), which incorporates probability measures on orthomodula posets and lattices. No mention either of the work by Mittelstaedt on QL, and Stachow on the QL of compound systems, which may throw light on EPR and similar ‘paradoxes’. In spite of these reservations, this is a valuable monograph, well-written, and bound to be of interest to many. J. E. Rubio
Science in Context, Vol. 1 No. 1. Edited by C. Freudenthal (Executive Editor); R. S. Choen, Y. Elkana, and S. Schaffer (Editors). Pp. 197. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. 1987. Twice-yearly. Subscription f33.00 (institutions); f 19.00 (individuals).
Many practising scientists have little interest in meta-science or the science of science, beyond a brief acquaintance with ‘Scientific Method’ which 20th century philosophers tell them is how 19th century scientists went about their work. Unfortunately they didn’t and still don’t. Science is above all a creative process on a par with engineering, writing, painting, composing, architecture, etc. and the forces which drive it arise from, and interact with, contemporary society, with timeliness being of the essence in the acceptibility of the ideas developed. Science in Context addresses the scientific process from an essentially philosophical point of view, on the far side, as it were, of the history of science. At the present time the history of science is under great pressure, with universities leaving professorships vacant to help balance their budgets. It is a truism that the outcome of genuine research cannot be predicted and it is unfortunate that the processes involved in the interaction of scientists and the community at large are not better understood. A fundamental plank of science is, of course, measurement, and the measurement of the previously unmeasurable, and increasingly its application in ‘soft’ science. Science in Context would be more in con-
text if it reached out of its scholarly philosophical enclave to embrace a wider public who would welcome a contribution to a better understanding of the world and the human condition, J. H. Milner The Evolution of Relativity. Edited by Christopher Ray. Pp. 211. Adam Hilger, Bristol. 7987. f29.50.
Although the title of this book might lead the reader to anticipate a discussion of the history of the development of relativity theory, the author’s interests are largely philosophical. In the first chapter he introduces ‘Mach’s principle’ as part of a clear and highly readable account of Mach’s philosophical response to idealized versions of Newton’s famous ‘rotating bucket’ and ‘two globes’ experiments. In the three chapters that follow he discussesthe role of Machian ideas within relativity theory and its implications for ‘absolutist’ and ‘relationalist’ theories of space and time, the concept of ‘simplicity’ as a guiding principle in the development of physical theories, and the foundationally problematic relationship between ‘classical’ and ‘quantum’ relativity. In the tinal chapter Ray broadens the discussionby surveying the implications of his case study in the evolution of relativity for modern philosophical accounts of the nature of science and scientific progress. This survey, together with the exceptionally clear discussion of many difficult technical and philosophical issues in physics, should make the book particularly valuable to students of the philosophy of science. But despite his forcefully argued claim that the General Theory of Relativity cannot be straightforwardly defined as a series of theoretical propositions, but is better described as a ‘dynamic, evolving theoretical context’, Ray does not recognize the existence of broader social dimensions to the practice of physics which may hold potential solutions to some of the most important problems identified - but not resolved-in the book. Andrew Warwick
Text Document Processing in Science and Technology. By Robert Ranson. Pp. 239. Wiley, Chichester. 1987. Paperback f 12.95.
An enormous growth in publications has accompanied the computer technology boom. In some casesthese publications are a necessary evil arising from the incomprehensible user support provided by both hardware and software manufacturers. In other cases, they provide a deeper awareness of a particular item of hardware or software so that the user can exploit its full potential. There are then those publications which provide general reviews to help a potential purchaser choose from the available mass of alternative options in order best to fulfil their objectives. This book by Ranson falls, if anywhere, into this last category and, for this reason, I found it slightly frustrating. Ranson unashamedly admits his preference for the