Book Review - The Science of Liberty

Every once in a while you find a book written by a clearly qualified writer addressing a pertinent and interesting topic. Unfortunately, some of the authors fall into what I call "Ayn Rand syndrome"; they think their ideas are so good, their topics so interesting and vital, that they must beat you over the head with them page after page after page.

That is perhaps the biggest failing in Timothy Ferris' work The Science of Liberty.

Even with that flaw, however, this is a book that is worth reading. The gist of the author's theme is that science has a long record of improving the quality of life for people around the world in a wide variety of ways. That's not exactly a revolutionary idea, but Ferris goes into detail attempting to show how progress in science has led to progress in government (towards democracy and freedom), progress in civics and ethics, and progress in commerce.

Ferris also draws many lines connecting science and liberalism. Here is one of the more valuable parts of the book in my view; the author goes to great lengths to try to recapture the original and true meaning of liberalism. What is commonly called "liberal" or "liberalism" in America is really more like progressivism and populism; you have to look more to modern Libertarian to come close to the original meaning of "liberalism".

Ferris does go a little too far in some cases, for instance he overestimates how accessible science is to everywhere. While I absolutely agree that anybody *can* learn science and become scientifically literate, once you abandon that path (usually early in life), it becomes exceptionally difficult to find it again later in life.

I imagine this book will not please the very religious, nor those highly skeptical of science and the scientific process. The author argues in several places that religion has been an impediment to progress, liberty, and ethics. Moreover, he is withering in his criticisms of those who would approach science as "just another point of view" or another way of experiencing the world. I can't say that I disagree with the author, but then I went into this work with a pro-science slant.

While I did enjoy this book, I can only give it a recommendation with some reserves. If you are already in the "pro-science" camp, this book will not do much more than make you feel even more justified and correct in your world view. Now, plenty of people like reading books that confirm their point of view, so this is certainly a good one for the pro-science crowd.

If you are more of a skeptic about science, though, or feel that religion and philosophy have a bigger role to play in improving people's quality of life, this will not be a pleasant book to read. Unfortunately, the author is also so heavy-handed and opinionated at times (the aforementioned Ayn Rand Syndrome) that you will feel more like you are being bullied and bludgeoned than presented with clear evidence and interpretations to change your mind.

(Apologies for the relatively low quality of the front cover scan)