History of Science: A Beginner's Guide

Beginner's Guide (Oneworld Publications)

by Sean F. Johnston

Employing intellectual history, philosophy, and social studies, Sean Johnston offers a unique appraisal of the history of science and the nature of the evolving discipline. Science is all-encompassing and contentious. Based on its past, where might it lead in the twenty-first century? Sean F. Johnston is a reader in the History of Science and Technology at the University of Glasgow.

Genres: Science, History, Philosophy

272 pages, Paperback

First published September 25, 2009

Reviews

[Cav · Rating 3 out of 5]

"We consume science in the films we watch, the electronic products we buy and the medications we choose.
Science subtly determines our perceptions and powers, our lifestyles and longings..."

Although History of Science presented a good deal of information, I found quite a lot of the writing to be dry and flat. I am very picky about how readable my books are, and I didn't feel the tone of this one met my expectations.

Author Sean F. Johnston is Professor of Science, Technology and Society at the University of Glasgow, UK, a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a Chartered Physicist (Institute of Physics). He has worked both as an historian and as a scientist. Johnston is a recipient of the Paul Bunge Prize, administered by the Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker, for the history of scientific instruments and of the George E. Davis Medal of the Institution of Chemical Engineers, for a history of chemical engineering co-written with Colin Divall. He lives in southern Scotland, where he teaches and researches the historical, social and philosophical aspects of science and technology.

Sean F. Johnston:


As the book's title implies, the writing here is a condensed and brief look at some of the biggest ideas in the fields of scientific inquiry. And although the scope of the book is quite broad, I felt that the presentation fell flat for me. As mentioned above, I am not particularly a fan of long-winded and dry writing. Fault me if you want, but I found my finicky attention wandering numerous times here...

********************

While not remarkable, History of Science was also not terrible. Although I was not a fan of the writing style here, your milage may vary.
I rate this one 2.5 stars, rounded up to 3.

[Tai Odunsi · Rating 4 out of 5]

a quick, concise overview of our most life-altering discipline.

[a*s*h · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this. Made me feel like I was in 9th grade again and chemistry didn’t exist. Only cool dudes with cool ideas. Historiography is also very interesting.

[Noah Dommaschk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty much what was on the science history course on the Dumfries campus, University of Glasgow. This is a really good course and I am glad there is a book to go with it. Johnston wrote this one well and concisely and so content is easy to follow. This is often not easy to do in a pure non fiction book. But I enjoyed reading this. It is quite a special feeling to read a book written by one of your lecturers. If you like history and science like I do, this book explains how they became to be the way they are in the modern day in a quick 200 page book.

[Tim Reisner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook.

Literally put me to sleep. Odd moments of interest; eg Manhattan Project interspersed a very dry whole.