The Random Universe: How Models and Probability Help Us Make Sense of the Cosmos is available now!

The Random Universe tracks the story of how scientists use data to interpret and model the universe. It fuses philosophy and the history of science, beginning with David Hume’s 17th century question “can we know anything more than what we experience?”, and the response of scientists starting with the Reverend Thomas Bayes who showed how to solve the problem using probability and models to predict and explain the physics of the Earth and Universe! Peppered with anecdotes such as Eddington’s 1919 eclipse expedition which proved that Einstein’s theory of gravity superseded Newton’s, this book gives insight into how the sausage of science is made. My take on how scientists build models of the world and gather data to check and refine those models is particularly relevant at a moment in American history when we are struggling to pin down what is true, what we believe, and why.

You can order it directly from Yale University Press or Yale University Press London, as well as the usual online booksellers such as Amazon and Amazon UK, or — better! — your favourite local bookshop.

If you read it, please rate and review it. You can find it listed at Amazon or Goodreads, or you can let me know what you think on Bluesky, Threads, Mastodon, or your own blog!

You can learn more about the book from this video I recorded, and find my recent and upcoming appearances on podcasts and in person here.

Unfortunately, some randomness has crept into the book: you can find a short list of errata here.