Can real knowledge be found other than by science? In this unique approach to understanding todays culture wars, an MIT physicist answers emphatically yes. He shows how scientism --- the view that science is all the knowledge there is --- suffocates reason as well as religion. Tracing the history of scientism and its frequent confusion with science, Hutchinson explains what makes modern science so persuasive and powerful, but restricts its scope. Recognizing sciences limitations, and properly identifying what we call nature, liberates both science and non-scientific knowledge.

Description: Why do so many think the Bible teaches that the universe is six thousand years old? There are many good biblical and historical reasons to read Genesis 1 nonliterally, and there are many good scientific reasons to think the universe is much older. Out of this misconception, some will lose faith, while others won't find it. This book was written for a large audience, gathering in a little more than one hundred pages the main biblical, historical, and astrophysical reasons to recognize that the universe is far more than six thousand years old. Contrary to some common views,...

This concise, plain-language guide for senior undergraduates and graduate students aims to develop intuition, practical skills and an understanding of the framework of numerical methods for the physical sciences and engineering. It provides accessible self-contained explanations of mathematical principles, avoiding intimidating formal proofs. Worked examples and targeted exercises enable the student to master the realities of using numerical techniques for common needs such as solution of ordinary and partial differential equations, fitting experimental data, and simulation using particle and...

This concise, plain-language guide for senior undergraduates and graduate students aims to develop intuition, practical skills and an understanding of the framework of numerical methods for the physical sciences and engineering. It provides accessible self-contained explanations of mathematical principles, avoiding intimidating formal proofs. Worked examples and targeted exercises enable the student to master the realities of using numerical techniques for common needs such as solution of ordinary and partial differential equations, fitting experimental data, and simulation using particle and...