The World Within the Home

Abstract

A WIDE-RANGING SURVEY OF THE 'LAWS OF NATURE' IS GIVEN. THE VARIOUS APPROACHES TAKEN TOWARDS THE CONCEPT OF A LAW OF NATURE BY PHILOSOPHERS ARE DISCUSSED ALONGSIDE A HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE EMERGENCE AND SUPPRESSION OF SUCH AN IDEA IN VARIOUS CULTURES. ACCOUNTS ARE THEN GIVEN OF THE OUTWORKING AND PHILOSOPHICAL CONSEQUENCES OF LAWS OF NATURE IN THE PHYSICAL SCIENCES. PARTICULAR EMPHASIS IS PLACED UPON MODERN DEVELOPMENTS IN COSMOLOGY AND ELEMENTARY PARTICLE PHYSICS. CHAPTERS ARE ALSO DEVOTED TO THE ISSUE OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF MATHEMATICS AS A DESCRIPTION OF NATURE, COMPUTABILITY, CHAOS, OBSERVATIONAL SELECTION EFFECTS AND THE ANTHROPIC PRINCIPLE.