{"product_id":"9781590178812","title":"The Scientist as Rebel","description":"From  Galileo to today’s amateur astronomers, scientists have been rebels,  writes Freeman Dyson. Like artists and poets, they are free spirits  who resist the restrictions their cultures impose on them. In their  pursuit of nature’s truths, they are guided as much by imagination as by  reason, and their greatest theories have the uniqueness and beauty of  great works of art.Dyson argues that the best way to understand science  is by understanding those who practice it. He tells stories of  scientists at work, ranging from Isaac Newton’s absorption in physics,  alchemy, theology, and politics, to Ernest Rutherford’s discovery of the  structure of the atom, to Albert Einstein’s stubborn hostility to the  idea of black holes. His descriptions of brilliant physicists like  Edward Teller and Richard Feynman are enlivened by his own reminiscences  of them. He looks with a skeptical eye at fashionable scientific fads  and fantasies, and speculates on the future of climate prediction,  genetic engineering, the colonization of space, and the possibility that  paranormal phenomena may exist yet not be scientifically  verifiable. Dyson also looks beyond particular scientific questions to  reflect on broader philosophical issues, such as the limits of  reductionism, the morality of strategic bombing and nuclear weapons, the  preservation of the environment, and the relationship between science  and religion. These essays, by a distinguished physicist who is also a  prolific writer, offer informed insights into the history of science and  fresh perspectives on contentious current debates about science,  ethics, and faith.","brand":"New York Review Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47180782797040,"sku":"9781590178812","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781590178812_p0.jpg?v=1763809477","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781590178812","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}