{ "item_title" : "The Myth of Certainty", "item_author" : [" Robin Wilding "], "item_description" : "Science stands among humanity's most remarkable achievements. It has mapped the heavens, unravelled the structure of DNA, and transformed medicine, technology, and daily life. Yet its successes sit alongside striking limitations. We can predict the motion of planets centuries ahead, but not the weather beyond a few days. We understand the chemistry of life in extraordinary detail, yet remain uncertain about the origins of mental illness. These contrasts raise a fundamental question: why is science so powerful in some domains and so constrained in others?We often treat science as a neutral, objective method for discovering truth - a universal tool that stands apart from culture, belief, or history. But science did not emerge in a vacuum. It developed within a particular intellectual tradition, shaped by assumptions about the nature of reality, the structure of the universe, and the possibility of certainty. This book begins with a simple but provocative idea: modern science is rooted in a cultural belief - almost a faith - that the universe is ordered, lawful, and ultimately comprehensible.To understand how this belief took hold, we must look to history. Western thought is deeply entangled with its religious past, and many of the ideas that underpin scientific inquiry have theological origins. Philosophers such as Thomas Kuhn have argued that scientific change occurs through paradigm shifts, some of which are inseparable from religious worldviews. The monotheistic belief in a single, authoritative creator encouraged early scientists to search for universal laws governing nature. At the same time, it reinforced themes - certainty, purity, hierarchy - that continue to shape scientific expectations today.A metaphor on the book's cover illustrates this tension. In the cartoon, God commands a football to split perfectly in two, and through a series of deterministic steps, it does so. The outcome is guaranteed; no external forces intervene. This reflects a familiar Western expectation: that nature obeys clear, discoverable laws. In contrast, the Buddha stands surrounded by multiple influences beyond his control. The result is uncertain, and the emergence of a rugby ball rather than a football would not surprise him. Buddhism does not assume a single cosmic authority or inherent order, and thus does not expect deterministic outcomes.Modern science has indeed uncovered many laws governing physics, astronomy, mathematics, and biology. Yet even these laws reveal cracks when pushed to their limits. Gravity becomes uncertain when confronted with dark matter. Quantum physics abandons classical notions of determinism. Chaotic systems such as turbulence resist precise modelling. Many contemporary challenges - chronic pain, climate change, mental illness - arise from nonlinear networks of causes, defying the search for singular explanations.Recognising the historical influence of religious belief on scientific assumptions allows us to question our cultural commitment to certainty. In many areas, certainty is not simply elusive; it is a myth. Persisting in the belief that all phenomena can be reduced to predictable laws may hinder our ability to understand complex systems and limit the future development of science itself.This book invites readers to examine the hidden assumptions that shape scientific thought, to explore the cultural and theological roots of our belief in order, and to consider how embracing uncertainty might open new paths for inquiry.", "item_img_path" : "https://covers4.booksamillion.com/covers/bam/9/79/819/690/9798196908163_b.jpg", "price_data" : { "retail_price" : "11.23", "online_price" : "11.23", "our_price" : "11.23", "club_price" : "11.23", "savings_pct" : "0", "savings_amt" : "0.00", "club_savings_pct" : "0", "club_savings_amt" : "0.00", "discount_pct" : "10", "store_price" : "" } }

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