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Time is fundamental to our experience, but remains mysterious. This book shows how philosophers and scientists have tried to grapple with this most extraordinary of ordinary phenomena. From the attempts of early astronomers to reconcile solar and lunar and terrestrial reckonings, to the huge expansions and contractions of time consciousness brought on by scientists as diverse as Newton, Darwin, and Einstein, this book shows how time is as much a matter of human choice as it is a matter of scientific precision.
1. Time in Prehistoric Societies.- 2. Time in the Eyes of Early Astronomers.- 3. Classic Philosophers View Time.- 4. Western and Eastern Religious Interpretations.- 5. Newton and Time.- 6. Darwin and Time.- 7. Einstein and Time.- 8. Modern Physics and Time.- 9. The Future of Time.
From the reviews: "In this philosophical rumination on time, Mainzer delves rigorously into time's logical constructs as they have been devised over the history of occidental science." Booklist "Klaus Mainzer ! provides a brief overview of the concept of time from antiquity to the present. ! The Little Book of Time succinctly and clearly covers human concepts of time, from the ancients to Newton to Einstein's theory of relativity and the conceptions of time in quantum mechanics, with its profound consequences for modern cosmology." (Science in Africa, October, 2002) "Time is a big subject ! . The book will probably be interesting to enthusiasts ! . The flavor is philosophical, which is not surprising since Mainzer is a philosopher. ! the book is a nice summary." (Thomas R. Berger, MathDL, January, 2004)
