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CONTENTS

Preface

1  Objective or Subjective: That Is the Question

Objective and Subjective

The Objective Outer World: Reality

Our Subjective Inner Worlds: Fantasies

Objective or Subjective?

Objective Truth

Subjective Truth

Logical Truth

Dealing with the Subjective

Dealing with the Objective

2  The Science of Nature and the Nature of Science

Preliminaries

Science

Nature

Reproducibility

Predictability

Law

3  Theory: Explanation, Not Speculation

Theory

Logical Implication and Objective Truth

Generality and Fundamentality

Naturality

Causation

Simplicity and Unification

Beauty

Falsifiability

An Archetypal Example

4  Is Science the Whole Story?

Science and Metaphysics

Transcendence and Nontranscendence

5  Our Unique Universe

The Lawless Universe

Cosmology

6  Nature’s Laws

Realism and Idealism

Reductionism and Holism

Observer and Observed

Quasi-Isolated System and Surroundings

Initial State and Law of Evolution

Extended Mach Principle

Whence Order?

7  Facing the Universe

Human Science

Anthropic Principle

Whence Order? (Again)

Space and Time

8  The Hunt for Reality

Metaphysical Positions

Objective Reality

Perceived Reality

Partially Hidden Reality

Transcendent Reality

 Coda

 Glossary

 Combined Bibliography

 Index

Previous Chapter

Dedication

Next Chapter

Preface

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