The Half-Life of Facts

<b>New insights from the science of science</b><br> <br>Facts change all the time. Smoking has gone from doctor recommended to deadly. We used to think the Earth was the center of the universe and that the brontosaurus was a real dinosaur. In short, what we know about the world is constantly changing.<br> <br>Samuel Arbesman shows us how knowledge in most fields evolves systematically and predictably, and how this evolution unfolds in a fascinating way that can have a powerful impact on our lives.<br> <br>He takes us through a wide variety of fields, including those that change quickly, over the course of a few years, or over the span of centuries. <b>New insights from the science of science</b><br> <br>Facts change all the time. Smoking has gone from doctor recommended to deadly. We used to think the Earth was the center of the universe and that the brontosaurus was a real dinosaur. In short, what we know about the world is constantly changing.<br> <br>Samuel Arbesman shows us how knowledge in most fields evolves systematically and predictably, and how this evolution unfolds in a fascinating way that can have a powerful impact on our lives.<br> <br>He takes us through a wide variety of fields, including those that change quickly, over the course of a few years, or over the span of centuries.