In Search of Unity: The Greatest Puzzle of Science

Book excerpt: Albert Einstein once wrote: "The supreme task of the physicist is to arrive at those universal laws from which the cosmos can be built up by pure deduction." Remarkably, in this book we arrive at those universal axioms from which universal science can be built up by pure deduction. Within the prevailing paradigm of science - the mathematical philosophy of nature - we show it is not possible to unify science. To overcome this limitation we introduce a new, more general paradigm. Since the new paradigm is a generalisation of the mathematical philosophy of nature, we are able to retain the mathematical knowledge built up within the prevailing paradigm. Within the new paradigm we introduce four empirical universal axioms, from which we deduce that it is not possible to mathematically unify the two fundamental theories of physics - quantum theory and general relativity. Instead, from the universal axioms we logically deduce the first symmetry of nature, the first invariance of nature, the universal arrow of time, the universal laws of nature, and the three universal dynamic theories of nature - quantum theory, general relativity and universal evolution. The first symmetry of nature and first invariance of nature arise from the constancy of the universal laws of nature not only being a symmetry, but a unifying symmetry. The biological view of universal evolution provides a new theory of biological evolution that replaces what we show is the deficient neo-Darwinian synthesis. In a similar way, theories of evolution in all the sciences are based on their respective views of universal evolution. From the universal axioms, we deduce the universal features of nature thereby unifying physics, chemistry, biology, psychology, sociology, economics and all of science. This book is written for scientifically-inclined general readers, teachers, students, scientists, philosophers, physicists, chemists, biologists, psychologists, sociologists, and economists.