Category Archives: Book Reviews
On Sam Harris’ The moral landscape: how science can determine human values , 2010.
We can explain the natural world through physics. We can account for human emergence through evolution. We can explain human behavior through genetics and psychology. But what about our sense of good and bad, of right and wrong? What is the ultimate source of our moral values? This book addresses this last question with considerable …
S. Kalyanaraman, Indus Script Cipher: Hieroglyphics of Indian Linguistic Area, 2010
The interpretation of ancient records is no easy task. It is difficult enough when the records are in archaic versions of currently known languages, and even more difficult when they are in scripts long out of use. This was the case, for example, with Egyptian hieroglyphics. But human curiosity and ingenuity will not give up …
Ferris, Timothy. The science of liberty: democracy, reason, and the laws of nature, 2010.
Recent events and thinkers have instigated a view to the effect that Science and Enlightenment are not what they are touted to be, and that there has been no progress in the human condition in the past two centuries. In this thoughtful book Ferris gives the lie to claims that diminish science, enlightenment and progress. …
On Wolfram’s A New Kind Of Science
By now, thanks to Newsweek, Time Magazine, the New York Times, and such, we have all heard about Stephen Wolfram and his new kind of book. It is a new kind of book in that a work of major scientific significance first finds its way through a book rather than via scientific journals, to the …
T. S. Rukmani (ed.), The Mahabharata: What is not here is nowhere else (yennéhâsti na tadkvacit)
That the Mahabharata is one of the greatest cultural legacies of humanity is no secret. That it is the longest integrated work of literature in any language is beyond question. That it has been a powerful source of inspiration in the construction of Hindu culture is also a well-recognize fact. No other work, whether of …
Vishveshwara, C. V. Einstein’s enigma or black holes in my bathtub.
The popularization of technical science is no easy task. Many attempt it, but few succeed with significant success. The book under review is among the more successful presentations for the general educated reader of one of the most sophisticated, important, and beautiful theories of 20th century physics: Einstein’s General Relativity and its most fascinating corollary: …
Eagleton, Terry. Reason, faith & revolution: reflections on the God debate
God-talk is now a flourishing theme. Anybody who can write eloquently for or against God or religion is welcome in the publishing world. So we have yet another book: this time by a keen, no-nonsense literary critic. He doesn’t take sides, either with religionists or with religion-bashers. He is fed up with both parties: Religionists …
Fraser, Gordon, Cosmic Anger: Abdus Salam – the first Muslim Nobel scientist.
A thousand years ago the Islamic world was creative in culture and science, producing many keen thinkers. During the past few centuries it has been relatively barren in science. Yet, today there are Muslim scientists in many countries. Abdus Salam was one. Formed in a university in India, and trained later in England, Salam quickly …
Waldman, Steven. Founding faith: providence, politics, and the birth of religious freedom in America
Culture wars between fundamentalist religionists and anti-religious secularists are among the conflicts facing our world, and the United States. All claim for their positions the ideals and worldviews of the founding fathers. This eye-opening historical probe reveals that the original intent and vision of the founding fathers are misinterpreted, distorted, and selectively referred to by …
Penrose, Roger. The road to reality: a complete guide to the laws of the universe
To explain the phenomenal world to the last detail is what the scientific enterprise is all about. For this, one needs to adopt a course. That course, since the seventeenth century, includes instruments, experiments, definitions, theories and such. But there is something more: the laws of nature, as Galileo noted, are in the language of …
