"What lies at the heart of physical inquiry? What are the foundational ideas and working assumptions that inform the enterprise of natural science? What principles guide research? How do scientists decide whether they are building theories in the right direction? Is there a right direction? Do physical theories actually approximate an objective reality, or are they simply useful summaries, mnemonics for experimental results? This book is Nobel Prize winner Jim Peebles's contribution to such big, classic debates in the philosophy of science, drawing on a lifetime of experience as a leading physicist and taking the development of physical cosmology as a "worked example." He begins with a consideration of the history of thought about the nature of the physical sciences since Einstein, culminating in a succinct statement of what he sees as the fundamental working assumptions of physics. Then, through a careful examination of the development of the general theory of relativity, Einstein's cosmological principle, the big bang theory, and our current model of the universe, he makes the argument that physical theories ultimately are useful approximations to an objective reality whose nature science is discovering. An essential reflection on and interrogation of the nature and practice of science by a giant in the field, The Whole Truth will be illuminating reading for cosmologists, physicists, and historians, philosophers, and sociologists of science alike"-- - (Baker & Taylor)

From the Nobel Prize–winning physicist, a personal meditation on the quest for objective reality in natural science

A century ago, thoughtful people questioned how reality could agree with physical theories that kept changing, from a mechanical model of the ether to electric and magnetic fields, and from homogeneous matter to electrons and atoms. Today, concepts like dark matter and dark energy further complicate and enrich the search for objective reality. The Whole Truth is a personal reflection on this ongoing quest by one of the world’s most esteemed cosmologists.

What lies at the heart of physical science? What are the foundational ideas that inform and guide the enterprise? Is the concept of objective reality meaningful? If so, do our established physical theories usefully approximate it? P. J. E. Peebles takes on these and other big questions about the nature of science, drawing on a lifetime of experience as a leading physicist and using cosmology as an example. He traces the history of thought about the nature of physical science since Einstein, and succinctly lays out the fundamental working assumptions. Through a careful examination of the general theory of relativity, Einstein’s cosmological principle, and the theory of an expanding universe, Peebles shows the evidence that we are discovering the nature of reality in successive approximations through increasingly rigorous scrutiny.

A landmark work, The Whole Truth is essential reading for anyone interested in the practice of science.

P. J. E. Peebles is a Nobel Prize–winning physicist and the author of several books, including Cosmology’s Century: An Inside History of Our Modern Understanding of the Universe, Principles of Physical Cosmology, Quantum Mechanics, and Physical Cosmology (all Princeton). He is the Albert Einstein Professor of Science Emeritus in the Department of Physics at Princeton University. - (Princeton University Press)

Library Journal Reviews

Nobel Prize-winning cosmologist Peebles (emeritus, physics, Princeton Univ.; Cosmology's Century: An Inside History of Our Modern Understanding of the Universe) here writes an engaging and inviting account of the history of the physical sciences and his own involvement in the field—one that will encourage readers to share in his wonderment. His lifetime of teaching experience comes to the fore as he introduces complex scientific theories and principles for lay audiences. Although he indicates that the physical science and cosmology detailed in the book are described as simply as possible, some chapters will be challenging to fully comprehend without some background in physics. In contrast, when Peebles aims to make connections between physical sciences, sociology, and philosophy, he becomes more accessible, posing questions particularly germane to the modern relationship between society and the advancement of scientific understanding. Owing to clearly delineated sections and subsections that can largely stand alone, a reader could easily navigate between sections and forgo some of the more complicated texts without missing information critical to the understanding of Peebles's book. VERDICT Peebles thoroughly outlines the history of cosmological study and connects it to broader issues (such as the relationship between science and society); would be of interest to physics students as a foundational history of the field, or to anyone interested in the history of science.—Grace O'Hanlon