Paradigms Lost : Images of Man in the Mirror of Science

Intended for both the layman and the scientist, this book presents an overview of some of today's great scientific questions, from the way in which we acquire language and the fundamental nature of our thinking processes, to the possible existence of life elsewhere in the universe. Each chapter is constructed in the form of a trial, with the conventional scientific wisdom presented by the prosecution and alternative views put forward by the defence . The author, who aims to be both informative and entertaining, subsequently steps in to act as juror , offering explanations of his verdicts. An overview of some of today's great scientific questions. Each chapter is constructed in the form of a trial, with opposing views presented by a "prosecution" and a "defence" and then the author, aiming to be an instructive and entertaining "juror", offering and explaining his verdict. On the night of February 24, 1987, Canadian astronomer Ian Shelton was looking through the telescope at the Las Campanas Observatory in Chile what he saw became the scientific event of the decade in the astronomical world.