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The Chemistry Redemption Conal Boyce 9780557527939 Books

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The book's focus is basic chemistry, but along the way it branches out into full-length chapters/appendices on particle physics, mathematics, information theory, probability and philosophy-of-science. In the end, it is more philosophical treatise than chemistry text, although it does include a number of hands-on kitchen chemistry experiments, as an integral part of the advocated philosophy.

The Chemistry Redemption Conal Boyce 9780557527939 Books

Conal Boyce is a Renaissance man in the classical sense. His interests are eclectic and he engages in intense education when subjects pique his interest. Originally trained in Mandarin Chinese with a PhD specialty in Sung Dynasty art, a degree taken from Harvard, he has since in his long academic life trained himself in information theory, computer science, mathematics and above all chemistry and physics. He is an accomplished musician as well, composing his own music as well as having wide ranging interest in many varieties of musical genre. As a former college professor, Dr. Boyce knows how to teach and his presentation is clear and easy to follow despite the fact that he does not pull technical punches.

His book, The Chemistry Redemption, reflects in one way or another, all these interests with the exception that you will not have to deal with Mandarin Chinese in any technical way. I am sure his experience with Chinese lies behind some of his approach and permits both his style and his subject matter. While the book is similar to a textbook in chemistry or some other science in some ways it really is a book on philosophy and Dr. Boyce's style is refreshingly glib and often highly amusing. At least this reviewer laughed out loud at certain points. This happened often enough that the whole experience of reading the book was rather light hearted despite the admitted complexity of the work. In this way at least, this reviewer was reminded of the philosophy and writing of Raymond Smullyan.

Dr. Boyce's points are fourfold. First that chemistry is a cleaner approach to any "theory of everything" than is physics, in the sense that you can track yourself, make yourself competent to engage in the work without having to range as far afield into related fields as you do in physics. The physics track to competence is much messier. Second, that chemistry allows you to land at the truly dynamic level of universal function, the level of atoms and their underlying components at least as easily as does physics (hence the title of the book). Thirdly, the reader is invited to take seriously an effort at reconstructing his view of the universe by rendering the atomic scale of things as central rather than the human scale of things, which Dr. Boyce argues is the logical outcome of the scientific endeavors as they have taken place. Each major scientific breakthrough has removed a cherished human notion or more from central position in our view of the cosmos. Dr. Boyce is simply suggesting that we take that trend seriously and continue to its logical end. He argues or implies that anything essential to our position in the cosmos at our level must have a significant thread all the way to the atomic level, that we will find life (albeit very rapid life) there too. As we displace the essential pieces of our experience to the atomic level, our mid level process is revealed as ephemeral and illusory.

His fourth point is tangential to these three and is therefore handled in some appendices but the subject of information theory touches on all that has gone before in the main text and so is essential to the book. Dr. Boyce argues that information is overemphasized as a critical feature of the cosmos again based on the illusory nature of our position in it. We find ourselves and our cultures dependent on information, but the entire rest of the universe is entropic and is information hostile such that information is destroyed routinely and permanently. The implication is quite unsettling. The key to the universe, the answer to everything, if there is one will never be found in information as it is too far out of the mainstream of universal process. Before you decide this must be total poppycock, I suggest you read the book and while reading recall that Dr. Boyce is obviously not negating his own information rich work by his conclusion. Rather, as Wittgenstein noted, there are points in all this, points at which we simply have to remain silent. Beyond the scope of this book, but perhaps not some other book, some other discipline, is the answer to "if not information, then what?" Perhaps in some future work Dr. Boyce may lead us home.

Much of the book is practical in nature. Dr. Boyce proposes kitchen sink chemistry experiments along the way to get a sense of what he is talking about because he believes along with most scientists that understanding is best when connected to practice, and besides, he is sure that this sort of thing is actually fun.

While mathematics is presented as essential to the science, this reviewer is not that trained in the higher math of calculus and beyond. I did not find the math obstructive to the flow of things at all. All in all, I recommend this book if you have any interest in science, chemistry, information theory, and philosophy and would expect if you get into the spirit of the work that you will come away changed in your opinions about the nature of things.

Product details Paperback 502 pages Publisher lulu.com (July 9, 2010) Language English ISBN-10 0557527937

Tags : Buy The Chemistry Redemption on Amazon.com ✓ FREE SHIPPING on qualified orders,Conal Boyce,The Chemistry Redemption,lulu.com,0557527937,ULUL-bkld2012AUG-19529,Science General
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The Chemistry Redemption Conal Boyce 9780557527939 Books Reviews

Conal Boyce is a Renaissance man in the classical sense. His interests are eclectic and he engages in intense education when subjects pique his interest. Originally trained in Mandarin Chinese with a PhD specialty in Sung Dynasty art, a degree taken from Harvard, he has since in his long academic life trained himself in information theory, computer science, mathematics and above all chemistry and physics. He is an accomplished musician as well, composing his own music as well as having wide ranging interest in many varieties of musical genre. As a former college professor, Dr. Boyce knows how to teach and his presentation is clear and easy to follow despite the fact that he does not pull technical punches.

His book, The Chemistry Redemption, reflects in one way or another, all these interests with the exception that you will not have to deal with Mandarin Chinese in any technical way. I am sure his experience with Chinese lies behind some of his approach and permits both his style and his subject matter. While the book is similar to a textbook in chemistry or some other science in some ways it really is a book on philosophy and Dr. Boyce's style is refreshingly glib and often highly amusing. At least this reviewer laughed out loud at certain points. This happened often enough that the whole experience of reading the book was rather light hearted despite the admitted complexity of the work. In this way at least, this reviewer was reminded of the philosophy and writing of Raymond Smullyan.

Dr. Boyce's points are fourfold. First that chemistry is a cleaner approach to any "theory of everything" than is physics, in the sense that you can track yourself, make yourself competent to engage in the work without having to range as far afield into related fields as you do in physics. The physics track to competence is much messier. Second, that chemistry allows you to land at the truly dynamic level of universal function, the level of atoms and their underlying components at least as easily as does physics (hence the title of the book). Thirdly, the reader is invited to take seriously an effort at reconstructing his view of the universe by rendering the atomic scale of things as central rather than the human scale of things, which Dr. Boyce argues is the logical outcome of the scientific endeavors as they have taken place. Each major scientific breakthrough has removed a cherished human notion or more from central position in our view of the cosmos. Dr. Boyce is simply suggesting that we take that trend seriously and continue to its logical end. He argues or implies that anything essential to our position in the cosmos at our level must have a significant thread all the way to the atomic level, that we will find life (albeit very rapid life) there too. As we displace the essential pieces of our experience to the atomic level, our mid level process is revealed as ephemeral and illusory.

His fourth point is tangential to these three and is therefore handled in some appendices but the subject of information theory touches on all that has gone before in the main text and so is essential to the book. Dr. Boyce argues that information is overemphasized as a critical feature of the cosmos again based on the illusory nature of our position in it. We find ourselves and our cultures dependent on information, but the entire rest of the universe is entropic and is information hostile such that information is destroyed routinely and permanently. The implication is quite unsettling. The key to the universe, the answer to everything, if there is one will never be found in information as it is too far out of the mainstream of universal process. Before you decide this must be total poppycock, I suggest you read the book and while reading recall that Dr. Boyce is obviously not negating his own information rich work by his conclusion. Rather, as Wittgenstein noted, there are points in all this, points at which we simply have to remain silent. Beyond the scope of this book, but perhaps not some other book, some other discipline, is the answer to "if not information, then what?" Perhaps in some future work Dr. Boyce may lead us home.

Much of the book is practical in nature. Dr. Boyce proposes kitchen sink chemistry experiments along the way to get a sense of what he is talking about because he believes along with most scientists that understanding is best when connected to practice, and besides, he is sure that this sort of thing is actually fun.

While mathematics is presented as essential to the science, this reviewer is not that trained in the higher math of calculus and beyond. I did not find the math obstructive to the flow of things at all. All in all, I recommend this book if you have any interest in science, chemistry, information theory, and philosophy and would expect if you get into the spirit of the work that you will come away changed in your opinions about the nature of things.