When Science is Silent

by Andrew Langridge

The undeniable utility and advance of technology is encouraging a conviction that science is following a path of "natural development"; in other words that science stands above human concerns and exerts ultimate authority over all aspects of life and all other fields of inquiry. Fast-moving developments in fields such as genetics, neuroscience, evolutionary psychology and artificial intelligence are leading many to question long-held beliefs that we have entertained about the human condition. A consequence of this naturalism is the marginalization of art and an indifference to history and politics, which are seen as distractions from the main business of science. There is an urgent need to properly demarcate the domain of science and re-establish the centrality of moral and aesthetic understandings. Belief that the mind can be reduced to the brain is dispelled by the notion that reality is gained through the exercise of our imaginations. Wallace Stevens rightly appeals to "reality as a thing seen by the mind, not to that which is, but that which is apprehended."

185 pages, Paperback

First published May 20, 2012

About the author

My book ("When Science is Silent") affirms the centrality of art and contingency in opposition to the strengthening tide of scientific naturalism in contemporary thought. I believe that fast-moving developments in fields such as genetics, neuroscience, evolutionary psychology and artificial intelligence are falsely giving credence to the view that science stands above human concerns and exerts ultimate authority over all aspects of life and all other fields of inquiry.

Reactions to "When Science is Silent":
"Interestingly, Langridge puts forth his criticisms of science in the careful, logical language of science itself. This is not a metaphysical, New Age exploration, but rather a painstakingly deliberate examination of humanity's beliefs."
"Langridge also includes quotations from artists and excerpts from poems, and these provide some of the clearest illustrations of his ideas. After lengthy consideration of the power of science versus art to convey a person’s experience, he includes an excerpt from a Robert Frost poem, “After Apple Picking,” that richly evokes a point of view in a way no scientific experiment could."
ForeWord Clarion Review