The Limitations of Science

by J.W.N. Sullivan

"Limitations of Science" is a vintage treatise on the state and limitations of science in the early twentieth century. John William Navin Sullivan (1886 - 1937) was a literary journalist and popular science writer most famous for his study of Beethoven. He is also responsible for having written some of the earliest non-technical accounts of Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, and he was acquainted with many important writers in London in the 1920s, including John Middleton Murry, Aldous Huxley, Wyndham Lewis, Aleister Crowley and T. S. Eliot. Other notable works by this author include "Aspects of Science" (1923), "Aspects of Second Series" (1926), and An Outline of Modern Knowledge (1931). Contents "The Expanding Universe", "The Mystery of Matter", "The Web of Reason", "The Nature of Mind", "The Limitations of Science", "The Values of Science", "Towards the Future", etc. This volume will appeal to those with an interest in the history and development of modern scientific understanding. Many vintage books such as this are increasingly scarce and expensive. It is with this in mind that we are republishing this volume now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with the original text and artwork.

Genres: Science

Paperback

First published December 1, 1952

About the author

John William Navin Sullivan was a popular science writer and literary journalist.

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much more than a traditional 're-hash' of interesting material, the author chose to instead focus on the implications of systematic thinking... I gave it five stars because, while slightly dated, it still seemed relevant to a wide variety of interests, although the section on the mind was a bit wanting (for better or for worse). A contrast from something like A Brief History of Time is noticeable, in that, although some ideas of science & physics are described to make a point, the book is not primarily about that - it is about the ramifications or so it seems. I got into it expecting a quick re-hash since it had been a few months since I immersed myself in a scientific material, and felt to be largely rewarded for choosing this brief journey.