The Decline and Fall of Science

If you're looking for a book which expresses some of the failings of modern science, then Celia Green's The Decline and Fall of Science isn't it. True, there are some discussions of problems with physics and medicine, but they are the weakest part of the book. The rest of the book concerns two subjects. The first of these is Green's view on the nature of society, which is that far from helping its members to achieve their potential, its main purpose seems to be to hold them back. She makes some good points, and it's certainly entertaining to read her arguments.

The second part of the book consists of reports of paranormal and similar events which have been collected by Green's Institute for Psychophysical Research, including lucid dreams, apparitions and psychokinesis. One purpose of the book was to try to attract funding, but here I think that Green just doesn't get it - after implying that the best thing society can do for you is to leave you alone, she then hopes that someone will put large sums of money at her disposal. But she does make a good case for research in this subject, stressing results as being interesting in their own right rather than for their 'magical' aspects, and the book certainly increased my interest in the possibility of paranormal phenomena.