The Random Universe: How Models and Probability Help Us Make Sense of the Cosmos
An award-winning astrophysicist looks at how the understanding of uncertainty and randomness has led to breakthroughs in our knowledge of the cosmos
 
All of us understand the world around us by constructing models, comparing them to observations, and drawing conclusions. Scientists create, test, and replace these models by applying the twinned concepts of probability and randomness. Exploring how this process has refined our knowledge of quantum mechanics and the birth of the universe, Andrew H. Jaffe offers a unique synthesis of the philosophy of epistemology, the mathematics of probability, and the science of cosmology.
 
As Jaffe puts Enlightenment thinkers like David Hume in conversation with contemporary philosophers such as Karl Popper and Imre Lakatos and engages with scientists ranging from Isaac Newton and Galileo to Albert Einstein and Arthur Eddington, he uses Thomas Bayes’s seminal studies of statistics and probability to make sense of conflicting currents of thought. This is a deep look into how we have learned to account for uncertainty in our search for knowledge—and a reminder that science is not about facts and data as such but about creating models that correctly account for the facts and data.
1146960473
The Random Universe: How Models and Probability Help Us Make Sense of the Cosmos
An award-winning astrophysicist looks at how the understanding of uncertainty and randomness has led to breakthroughs in our knowledge of the cosmos
 
All of us understand the world around us by constructing models, comparing them to observations, and drawing conclusions. Scientists create, test, and replace these models by applying the twinned concepts of probability and randomness. Exploring how this process has refined our knowledge of quantum mechanics and the birth of the universe, Andrew H. Jaffe offers a unique synthesis of the philosophy of epistemology, the mathematics of probability, and the science of cosmology.
 
As Jaffe puts Enlightenment thinkers like David Hume in conversation with contemporary philosophers such as Karl Popper and Imre Lakatos and engages with scientists ranging from Isaac Newton and Galileo to Albert Einstein and Arthur Eddington, he uses Thomas Bayes’s seminal studies of statistics and probability to make sense of conflicting currents of thought. This is a deep look into how we have learned to account for uncertainty in our search for knowledge—and a reminder that science is not about facts and data as such but about creating models that correctly account for the facts and data.
32.5 Pre Order
The Random Universe: How Models and Probability Help Us Make Sense of the Cosmos

The Random Universe: How Models and Probability Help Us Make Sense of the Cosmos

by Andrew H. Jaffe
The Random Universe: How Models and Probability Help Us Make Sense of the Cosmos

The Random Universe: How Models and Probability Help Us Make Sense of the Cosmos

by Andrew H. Jaffe

Hardcover

$32.50 
  • SHIP THIS ITEM
    Available for Pre-Order. This item will be released on November 11, 2025

Related collections and offers


Overview

An award-winning astrophysicist looks at how the understanding of uncertainty and randomness has led to breakthroughs in our knowledge of the cosmos
 
All of us understand the world around us by constructing models, comparing them to observations, and drawing conclusions. Scientists create, test, and replace these models by applying the twinned concepts of probability and randomness. Exploring how this process has refined our knowledge of quantum mechanics and the birth of the universe, Andrew H. Jaffe offers a unique synthesis of the philosophy of epistemology, the mathematics of probability, and the science of cosmology.
 
As Jaffe puts Enlightenment thinkers like David Hume in conversation with contemporary philosophers such as Karl Popper and Imre Lakatos and engages with scientists ranging from Isaac Newton and Galileo to Albert Einstein and Arthur Eddington, he uses Thomas Bayes’s seminal studies of statistics and probability to make sense of conflicting currents of thought. This is a deep look into how we have learned to account for uncertainty in our search for knowledge—and a reminder that science is not about facts and data as such but about creating models that correctly account for the facts and data.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780300250503
Publisher: Yale University Press
Publication date: 11/11/2025
Pages: 288
Product dimensions: 6.12(w) x 9.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

Andrew H. Jaffe is professor of astrophysics and cosmology at Imperial College London and director of the Imperial Centre for Inference and Cosmology. He lives in London, UK.
From the B&N Reads Blog

Customer Reviews