History of Science: A Beginner's Guide - Softcover

Johnston, Sean F.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1851686819 ISBN 13: 9781851686810

Publisher: Oneworld Publications, 2009

Synopsis

Weaving together intellectual history, philosophy, and social studies, Sean Johnston offers a unique appraisal of the history of science and the nature of this evolving discipline. Science is all-encompassing and new developments are usually mired in controversy; nevertheless, it is a driving force of the modern world. Based on its past, where might it lead us in the twenty-first century?

About this title

About the Author

Sean F. Johnston is Reader in the History of Science and Technology at the University of Glasgow. He is also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy with a prior career as a physicist and systems engineer.

From the Back Cover

Science makes the modern world go round, driving the economy, shaping politics, and influencing the food we eat, the films we watch, and the authoritites we trust. Although we celebrate its eureka moments and are surrounded by its triumphs, science’s past is littered with disagreements, doubts, and misfires, while new developments are increasingly mired in controversy.

In History of Science: A Beginner’s Guide, Sean Johnston weaves together intellectual history, philosophy, and social studies to offer a unique appraisal of the nature of this evolving discipline. Beginning with the phenomena faced by our earliest ancestors, right up to debates surrounding climate change predictions, the rise of commercial science, and the ethics of biotechnology, Johnston demonstrates that science is a continually evolving activity that both influences and is influenced by its cultural context. Based on its past, where might it lead us in the twenty-first century?

Edition details

• Publisher: Oneworld Publications
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1851686819
• ISBN 13: 9781851686810
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 272