Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48In Praise of Natural Philosophy argues for a trans- formation of both science and philosophy, so that these two distinct domains of thought become one: natural philosophy. This in turn has far-reaching consequences for the whole academic enterprise. It transpires that universities need to be reorganized so that they become devoted to seeking and pro- moting wisdom by rational means – as opposed to just acquiring knowledge. Modern science began as natural philosophy. What today we call science and philosophy, in Newton’s time formed one integrated enterprise: to improve our knowledge and understanding of the universe. Profound discoveries were made. And then natural philosophy died. It split into science and philosophy. But the two fragments are defec- tive shadows of the glorious unified endeavour of natural philosophy. Rigour, sheer intellectual good sense, and decisive argument demand that we put the two together again, and rediscover the im- mense merits of the integrated enterprise of natural philosophy. This requires an intellectual revolu- tion, with profound consequences for how we understand the universe, do both science and philosophy, and tackle global problems. A comprehensive addition to discussions about the purposes of academia, In Praise of Natural Philosophy has dramatic implications for the fate of our world. Nicholas Maxwell is emeritus reader at University College London. 2 8 M Q U P S P R I N G 2 0 1 7 In Praise of Natural Philosophy A Revolution for Thought and Life nicholas maxwell Science and philosophy need to be put together to recreate natural philosophy in order to serve the best interests of humanity. S P E C I F I C AT I O N S March 2017 978-0-7735-4903-6 $34.95A CDN, $29.95A US, £25.99 paper 978-0-7735-4902-9 $110.00S CDN, $110.00S US, £95.00 cloth 6 x 9 352pp 4 diagrams eBook available P H I L O S O P H Y