The Science of Liberty

The Science of Liberty

Over the past few centuries, two revolutions—one in science, one in politics—have altered the thinking and the well-being of the human species. The scientific revolution has shed light on the workings of the cosmos and extended our lifespan, while the democratic revolution has spread freedom to nearly half the world. Furthermore, every scientifically advanced nation at the close of the 20th century was a liberal democracy. But how exactly are these two watershed transformations linked? This is the question that Timothy Ferris addresses in The Science of Liberty.

Ferris argues that science initially sparked the democratic revolution that swept across the world in the 18th century, while democratic societies in turn have nurtured the brand of free inquiry that allows science to sustain itself. To flesh out this thesis, Ferris first explores the historical link between science and liberty from the Renaissance through the end of the 18th century, maintaining that scientific skepticism is corrosive to authoritarian beliefs. He then traces the development of democratic and scientific societies from 1800 to the present day, and concludes with a look at the modern world, finding hope for the future even in an era that has, interestingly, seen powerful antiscientific forces that have challenged the progress made through the centuries.

Along the way, we see how the political ideas of Thomas Paine, which helped drive the American Revolution, were likely inspired by Paine’s exposure to science; how the French Revolution, which was initially driven in part by Lockean empiricism and Humean skepticism (both essential to science), descended into terror due in part to the embrace of Robespierre’s antirationalism; and how the rise of the science of economics (in the works of Adam Smith and others) helped transform our understanding of the link between wealth and individuals in a society. Ferris also demonstrates how forces ranging from the Fascism of the 1930s and 1940s to the religious fundamentalism that has taken hold today unite in opposition to science. And he speculates about the future with a look at global warming, a hot-button issue that has created new contention among extremists on both the left and right, and will likely play a significant part in defining the science-liberty nexus in the future. Ultimately, though, for all the challenges faced by both liberty and science, Ferris contends that they “have demonstrated an unequalled capacity for doing good.” And in this, he concludes, they are likely to prosper.

Provocative, erudite and inherently optimistic, The Science of Liberty brilliantly chronicles the ways that science helped spark—and could sustain—the spread of liberal democracy.

Hardcover: 384 pages

Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers ( February 09, 2010 )

Item #: 93-4169

ISBN: 9780060781507

Product Dimensions: 6.0 x 9.0 x 0.0 inches

Product Weight: 19.0 ounces