From climate change to quantum physics, how the science of uncertainty can help predict and understand our chaotic world
The Primacy of Doubt takes us on a unique journey through the science of uncertainty, covering a breathtaking range of topics, from climate change to the foundations of quantum physics, economic modelling to conflict prediction, free will to consciousness.
A bold, visionary, and mind-bending exploration of how the geometry of chaos can explain our uncertain world—from weather and pandemics to quantum physics and free willCovering a breathtaking range of topics—from climate change to the foundations of quantum physics, from economic modelling to conflict prediction, from free will to consciousness and spirituality—The Primacy of Doubt takes us on a unique journey through the science of uncertainty. A key theme that unifies these seemingly unconnected topics is the geometry of chaos: the beautiful and profound fractal structures that lie at the heart of much of modern mathematics. Royal Society Research Professor Tim Palmer shows us how the geometry of chaos not only provides the means to predict the world around us, it suggests new insights into some of the most astonishing aspects of our universe and ourselves. This important and timely book helps the reader makes sense of uncertainty in a rapidly changing world.