Fire in the Mind is a popular science book that attempts to explain the basics of physics, cosmology, and biology. It differs from the many other examples of this genre in that Johnson contrasts the latest scientific speculation with the worldviews of various groups in northern New Mexico. The fundamental theme of the book is that humans are pattern-seekers and that it is difficult to discern how much of the pattern is immanent in the world and how much is imposed upon it by our means of understanding.
The first section, which covers particle physics, does the best job of balancing the scientific summary and the philosophical concerns. Our theories are built on abstractions building upon abstractions, what Werner Heisenberg called, "this peculiar mixture of incomprehensible mumbo jumbo and empirical success." I've always felt like the mysteries of quantum mechanics must mean we've missed a critical conceptual piece, and Johnson openly acknowledges this possibility. Johnson also provides lovely descriptions of New Mexico, including footnotes with actual hiking directions ("Lake Peak can be reached in half a day by driving up Hyde Park road to the ski basin...").
The later sections of the book are less distinctive than the first, although they retain Johnson's clear exposition.
The first section, which covers particle physics, does the best job of balancing the scientific summary and the philosophical concerns. Our theories are built on abstractions building upon abstractions, what Werner Heisenberg called, "this peculiar mixture of incomprehensible mumbo jumbo and empirical success." I've always felt like the mysteries of quantum mechanics must mean we've missed a critical conceptual piece, and Johnson openly acknowledges this possibility. Johnson also provides lovely descriptions of New Mexico, including footnotes with actual hiking directions ("Lake Peak can be reached in half a day by driving up Hyde Park road to the ski basin...").
The later sections of the book are less distinctive than the first, although they retain Johnson's clear exposition.
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