From Scientific American:
Can social science ever become as rigorous, as “hard,” as, say, nuclear physics? I explored this question in a recent post, which I wrote in part as a response to The Physics of Wall Street: A Brief History of Predicting the Unpredictable, by James Owen Weatherall.…Jim eventually earned a doctorate in mathematics and physics from Stevens and a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of California, Irvine, where he now teaches philosophy. While working on his doctorates, Jim started writing about physics for Scientific American and other publications. His work attracted attention, and he signed a contract with a major publisher to write a book about physics and economics. The Physics of Wall Street is a thoroughly researched history of modern physics and finance, with lucid explanations of fractals, derivatives and other esoteric topics. It’s also a great read, filled with compelling characters, high drama and provocative ideas. I recently emailed Jim questions related to his book. Here is our exchange:

For the full story, please visit http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/cross-check/2013/05/01/author-of-the....