In this riveting, eye-opening new book, preeminent astrophysicist Martin
Rees charts out the future of science, offering a compelling vision of
how scientists and laypeople can work together to address the most
urgent issues of our era--including climate change and energy concerns,
population growth, and epidemiological threats.
Scientific research is crucial to a growing number of policy decisions,
but in our public discussions, ideology and indignation all too often
threaten to drown out research and evidence. To shape debates over
health care, energy policy, space travel, and other vital issues,
ordinary citizens must engage directly with research rather than relying
on pundits' and politicians' interpretations. Otherwise, fringe opinions
that have been discredited in the scientific community can take hold in
the public imagination. At the same time, scientists must understand
their roles as communicators and ambassadors as well as researchers.
Rees not only diagnoses this central problem but also explains how
scientists and the general public can deploy a global, long-term
perspective to address the new challenges we face. In the process, he
reveals critical shortcomings in our current system--for example, the
tendency to be overly anxious about minor hazards while underrating the
risk of potential catastrophes. Offering a strikingly clear portrait of
the future of science, Rees tackles such diverse topics as the human
brain, the possibility that humans will colonize other planets, and the
existence of extraterrestrial life in order to distinguish between what
scientists can hope to discover and what will always lie beyond our
grasp.
A fresh perspective on science's significance and potential, From Here
to Infinity will inspire and enlighten.
