Servants of Nature: A History

Pyenson, Lewis

ISBN 10: 0393317366 / ISBN 13: 9780393317367

Published by W. W. Norton & Company, 2000

Item in very good condition! Textbooks may not include supplemental items i.e. CDs, access codes etc. Seller Inventory # 00102959271

Synopsis:

A penetrating account of how science, perhaps above all other human endeavors, has shaped-and been shaped by-society. The Norton History of Science in Society explores the interaction between scientific practice and public life from antiquity to the present, showing how advances in science are allied to changing social institutions and attitudes, and examining how the bodies that shape scientific tradition and innovation have acquired their authority. It also considers how scientific goals have changed and explores the relationship between science, industry, and the military in modern times. This is an indispensable volume in the history of science.

From the Back Cover:

Major scientific advances stem from changes in three distinct areas: the social institutions that promote science, the sensibilities of scientists themselves and the goal of the scientific enterprise. Examining the institutions that have shaped science: the academies of Ancient Greece, universities, the growth of museums of science, technology and natural history, botanical and zoological gardens, and the advent of modern specialised research laboratories, 'Servants of Nature' also analyses changing scientific sensibilities through time – such as the relationship between religion and science or the interplay between the growth of democracy and the growth of scientific knowledge. This acclaimed book covers the changing nature of scientific enterprise and considers how the goals of science have evolved, giving an indispensable account of how science, perhaps above all other human endeavours, has shaped, and been shaped by, the world we inhabit today.

'A cabinet of wonders, a kaleidoscope of historical instances, its scope ranging from early Islamic and Chinese Observatories to the evolution of the German doctoral system and the reception of Einstein's theories in India…extraordinary and very readable.'
CASPAR HENDERSON, 'New Scientist'

'A wide-ranging, useful and erudite compendium – a valuable work of reference.'
ANTHONY DANIELS, 'Sunday Telegraph'

Bibliographic Details

Title: Servants of Nature: A History
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Publication Date: 2000
Binding: Soft cover
Condition: Very Good