In praise of natural philosophy : a revolution for thought and life /

Maxwell (emer., Univ. College London, UK) calls for a "need to reform philosophy and join it to science" to establish a new unified domain of thought. In Praise of Natural Philosophy is well researched and systematically demonstrates the historical mistakes scholars made over time that artificially divided knowledge into two entities--science and philosophy. Maxwell laments the downfall of natural philosophy that occurred in the 18th and 19th centuries, which resulted in a series of philosophical mistakes that constitute what he calls an "intellectual disaster" for humanity. This disaster is grounded in the belief that empirical science provides humanity with the ability to achieve progress. As such, the acquisition of knowledge is the center of humanity's goals, instead of focusing on the problems of gaining the wisdom needed to improve the human condition. Maxwell's solution is a fully developed model called "aim-oriented empiricism," which offers a complex range of assumptions that help improve both the methods of science and the academic enterprise. This thought process offers a means to "create a better world" and improve the human condition. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and above; researchers and faculty. --George D. Oberle, George Mason University

Per Maxwell (emeritus, philosophy, Univ. Coll., London), the road from early modern natural philosophy to the empirical physical sciences took a wrong turn with Isaac Newton: the famous scientist boldly-and incorrectly-stated that science was purely objective and owed no debt to philosophical metaphysical assumptions. Despite modern science's astonishing ability to produce great technological wonders, it fails to account for value, the good, and thus to help direct humans toward the kind of society science could help create. Maxwell calls for a revolutionary return to natural philosophy in which science replaces "standard empiricism" with an "aim-oriented empiricism" that aims toward ever more satisfying comprehensions of reality and toward the good, a good rooted in philosophical awareness of its metaphysical assumptions and values. The revolution is both partially happening (as he admits) and unlikely to come from his own manifesto. While Maxwell presents an engaging summation of his work over the decades, he is too much in dialog with his past output, insufficiently engaged with other philosophical traditions (pragmatism; process), and unacknowledged by scientists who want to see mathematical equations to substantiate his speculations in quantum theory. Verdict Recommended for philosophical and scientific enthusiasts.-Steve Young, McHenry Cty. Coll., Crystal Lake, IL © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.