Status Updates From Bedeviled: A Shadow History...

Canales dedicates a lot of time to explain Maxwell's demon and shows a very detailed, interesting and knowledgeable approach to 19th and 20th century physics and its consequences. Deffinitely the first chapters of the book were disappointing but further on it gets better. Surely Canales comfort zone is not early modern science but contemporary science

Laplace's chapter was way better than my first impression. I disagree with Canales' connection between Hume and Laplace, and given the misleading Descartes chapter it is my impression that Canales is not deeply versed in early modern philosophy but 18-19th centruy and forward its great. Very nice section about Darwin in chapter 2

Until now the book has been very disappointing. Even if the topic is fascinating, the introduction is misleading specially towards the end. I tried to keep an open mind and tried to continue reading. I have only finished the first chapter and Canales' description of Descartes' evil genius is terribly mediocre, half-explained, misleading and I'd dare to say its wrong even.

Descartes’, Laplace’s demons: philosophical
Maxwell’s, Brownian motion: heat, thermodynamics

“The content of these texts seemed to contradict one of science’s much-trumpeted virtues and it’s most lasting accomplishment: the elimination of imaginary or supernatural beings from this world, including witches, unicorns, mermaids, demons, and many others.”

Not even at page one and we’ve already got this superstitious scientistic crap 🙄