Abstract

HOW THINGS ARE is a gathering together of some of the most sophisticated and distinguished scientists and thinkers in the world, each contributing an original piece—an elementary idea, a basic concept, and tool for thought—relevant to his or her field of science. The appeal of the essays is their focus and their brevity: a single theme; a surprising point of view; an explanation about why a theory is acceptable or not. HOW THINGS ARE gives us a chance to see the minds of distinguished scientist and thinkers at work: the questions they ask, the methods they use; the thought processes they follow in trying to arrive at an understanding of the world around us, and of ourselves.