Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1429471 in Books
• Published on: 1998-03-19
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 208 pages

Synopsis
Five top writers on science have collaborated to produce this book which looks at the ways that major discoveries in biology, physics and medicine have been suppressed or misunderstood. Stephen Jay Gould gives a summary of his critique of conventional "progressive" pictures of evolutionary change. Richard Lewontin rejects the attempt to reduce the complexity of living things to the simplicity of physics. Oliver Sacks offers a tour of scientific roads not taken, or taken too late. Daniel Kevles recounts the strange story of resistance to the idea that viruses can cause cancer. And Jonathan Miller shows how the discredited panacea of hypnotism could have helped to reveal a non-Freudian view of the unconscious.

Customer Reviews

An In-Depth Investigation of Scientific Developments
At last! A paperback that takes the History of Science as a meaningful field of interest.

As a serious student of the philosophy and history of science, I found this an impressive and well written eye-opener. The various authors have sought to present balanced and researched accounts of their individual subjects, albeit rather 'wordy' in certain areas, and centred around American rather than British audiences. But placing these points to one side,the authors have drawn pictures of the settings around which their stories are told. As such, it is easy to conjure up scenes in your mind as the facts unfold before you.

For anyone seeking a professional, serious account of the history of science, this is a magnificent opportunity not to be missed. However, I would emphasise that this is no book for the merely curious. To get the best out of this book, the reader should have a reasonable knowledge of the subjects for reasons I have stated. But please! don't let this put you off: First time readers, as a result of this book might well desire to take this fascinating area of study further.