"[E]xamine issues such as the nature of consciousness, autism, the legitimization of alternative medicine, pharmaceutical testing controversies, the origins of order in the universe, the possibility extra-terrestrial life, the frontiers of quantum computing, and the role of basic science in national security."

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SciTech Book News

"The book is a valuable resource for the most recent developments in science and trends in intellectual thought. It will inspire readers to learn more about the fundamental issues of human existence, to think about who they are, why they are here, and where they are going. In a short section following the debates, Kuhn discusses different scientific models for explaining reality. The reader is given helpful background information for each discussion with an introduction and interview of panel participants. Although the topics are advanced, the discussions do not go into great scientific detail or use extensive scientific terminology. Overall, this book is aimed at those who wish to explore philosophical questions in a scientific context. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers; lower-division undergraduates; two-year technical program students."

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Choice

"[E]xplores the latest scientific research, philosophical thinking and considerations of the challenges facing mankind in the future, and is based on the PBS TV show of the same name. Specialists debate a range of social scientific and ethical questions, from how alternative medicine may be validated to how science supports political and social interests. In offering up a blend of debate and dialogue, Closer to Truth supercedes similar titles and provides both college level science holdings and general interest collections with a powerful survey."

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The Bookwatch

"How does it feel being autistic? Can science fiction warn of risks to humankind? Is 'alternative medicine' of benefit, or music, or mood-altering pills? Will alien life be found soon? Are more universes being born? Does immortality await us in heaven or inside immensely powerful computers? Forty-eight experts discuss the cosmos and what makes life interesting. Robert Lawrence Kuhn's our guide, host, editor. An intellectual feast for a mental gourmet!"

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John Leslie, Fellow, Royal Society of Canada, University Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, University of Guelph, Author of Immortality Defended, Infinite Minds, Universes, and The End of the World

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