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 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. How are these two transformations linked? This is the question that Timothy Ferris addresses in The Science of Liberty.

Ferris argues that science initially sparked the rise of democracy, 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. He then traces the development of democratic and scientific societies from 1800 to today, and concludes with a look at the modern world, finding hope for the future even in an era of powerful antiscientific forces.

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. And we see how forces ranging from Fascism to fundamentalism unite in opposition to science.

The Science of Liberty brilliantly chronicles the ways that science helped spark the spread of liberal democracy.

“Ferris vindicates his thesis that humanity’s progress ensues only whenever science’s anti-authoritarian, egalitarian commitment to free inquiry is allowed to range wherever curiosity will take it.” —Booklist

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