Making Truth

InMaking Truth: Metaphor in ScienceTheodore L. Brown argues that most laypeople, and many scientists, do not have a clear understanding of how metaphor relates to scientific thinking. With stunning clarity, and bridging the worlds of scientists and non-scientists, Brown demonstrates the presence and the power of metaphorical thought. To illustrate the roles of metaphor in science, Brown presents a series of studies of scientific systems. These range from the atom, historically one of the most important ideas in science, through models in chemistry and biology, including current "hot" topics such as protein folding, chaperone proteins, and global warming. The case studies inMaking Truthillustrate the deeply metaphorical nature of scientific reasoning and communication. They provide the basis for far-reaching conclusions about science as an intellectual and social practice and about the nature of scientific truth.

Theodore L. Brown is a professor emeritus of chemistry at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he also served as director of the Beckman Institute, vice chancellor for research, and interim vice chancellor for academic affairs. He is the author of Energy and the Environment and a coauthor of Chemistry: The Central Science.