The Comprehensibility of the Universe

This admirably ambitious book contains more thought-provoking material than can even be mentioned here. Maxwell's treatment of the descriptive problem of simplicity, and his novel proposals about quantum mechanics deserve special note.... Maxwell's highly informed discussions of the changing ontologies of various modern physical theories are enjoyable, and the physical and mathematical appendix of the book should be a great help to the beginners.'The Philosophical ReviewMaxwell … has much of interest to say about the development of physical thought since Newton. His comprehensive coverage and sophisticated treatment of basic problems within the philosophy of science make the book well worth studying for philosophers of science as well as for scientists interested in philosophical and methodological matters pertaining to science.‘International Philosophical QuarterlyAt the close of the twentieth century, The Comprehensibility of the Universe attempts to resurrect an ideal of modern philosophy: to make rational sense of science by offering a philosophical program for improving our knowledge and understanding of the universe. It is a consistent plea for articulating the metaphysical presuppositions of modern science and offers a cure for the theoretical schizophrenia resulting from acceptance of incoherent principles atthe base of scientific theory.'Leemon B. McHenryNicholas Maxwell … offers a revamped empiricism, asserting that metaphysical theses feature centrally in the improvement of scientific methodologies and in the content of knowledge … Maxwell performs a heroic feat in making the physics accessible to the non-physicist, including appendices that provide an introduction to the required mathematical and physical concepts … Philosophically, there is much here to stimulate and provoke. In particular, thereare rewarding comparisons to be made between the functional roles assigned to Maxwell’s metaphysical ‘blueprints’ and Thomas Kuhn’s paradigms, as well as between Maxwell’s description of theoreticaldevelopment and Imre Lakatos’s methodology of scientific research programmes.‘Anjan Chakravartty, THES

Nicholas Maxwell has for years argued for revolutionary changes in universities so that they promote wisdom, not merely the acquisition of knowledge. For nearly thirty years he taught philosophy of science at University College in London, where he is now Emeritus Reader.