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A Short History of Scientific Thought
A highly readable historical survey of the major developments in scientific thought and the impact of science on Western culture, this book takes the reader from ancient times through to the twentieth century. Organized chronologically, the book explores the history of studies of the natural world, and man's role within that world, in a single volume.
328 pages, Paperback
First published December 6, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 28, 2014
Excellent book. I especially recommend it to those who study the History of Philosophy, Philosophy of Science, or Religion and Theology. I also think that it would be meaningful to anyone interested in History, History of Ideas, Political History, and Sociology/Social Transformations.
Initially I took issue with the way that the terms “natural,” “secular” and “rational” were being used to describe early Greek thinkers in the first chapter -—because our modern sense of these words cannot rightly be applied to the ancient Greek philosophers. But that is a very small portion of the book; overall John Henry exudes brilliance, insight, and aplomb as a writer and thinker on the History of Science.
My area of research is Philosophy of Mind and the evolution of theories of knowledge from ancient eras to the present. What was most fascinating to me in this book was following the line of thinking (about ultimate causes) from the idea of an Unmoved Mover (Aristotle), giving way to occult forces (Newton), giving way to abstracted forces/laws of nature (Descartes, Theory of Evolution), and presently culminating in forces said to be described by mathematical equations that have no physical reality (Quantum Mechanics). John Henry’s work presents intriguing detailed accounts of specific iconic events and figures associated with these movements—- compared to the more general changes I tend to study.
I absolutely admire John Henry’s “myth busting”. He addresses important controversial topics in the Culture of Science with fairness and equanimity, which is very rare. About Darwin’s concept of evolution he writes:
“Nowadays, the picture that is usually painted for us in popular history, is that Darwin’s "Origin of Species" (1859) came as a great shock to the Victorian public and was condemned on all sides. This simply is not true… The question arises, therefore, as to why we have the impression that the church was opposed to Darwin’s theory? …Secular commentators, uninterested in distinctions between religious groups, have tended to let the opponents of evolution stand representative of the religious reaction to evolution…by suggesting that ‘religion’ itself was (and supposedly still is) opposed to evolution, they can go on to use this to suggest that ‘religion’ is opposed to ‘science’…”
Given how quick mainstream society is to internalize and regurgitate pseudoscientific claims about everything from Galileo to Quantum Mechanics, this is an incredibly valuable book. If we labor under powerful myths about the authority of science, the nature of scientific ideas, and the practice of science in modern society, then “Science” will quickly become the new opium of the people.
Initially I took issue with the way that the terms “natural,” “secular” and “rational” were being used to describe early Greek thinkers in the first chapter -—because our modern sense of these words cannot rightly be applied to the ancient Greek philosophers. But that is a very small portion of the book; overall John Henry exudes brilliance, insight, and aplomb as a writer and thinker on the History of Science.
My area of research is Philosophy of Mind and the evolution of theories of knowledge from ancient eras to the present. What was most fascinating to me in this book was following the line of thinking (about ultimate causes) from the idea of an Unmoved Mover (Aristotle), giving way to occult forces (Newton), giving way to abstracted forces/laws of nature (Descartes, Theory of Evolution), and presently culminating in forces said to be described by mathematical equations that have no physical reality (Quantum Mechanics). John Henry’s work presents intriguing detailed accounts of specific iconic events and figures associated with these movements—- compared to the more general changes I tend to study.
I absolutely admire John Henry’s “myth busting”. He addresses important controversial topics in the Culture of Science with fairness and equanimity, which is very rare. About Darwin’s concept of evolution he writes:
“Nowadays, the picture that is usually painted for us in popular history, is that Darwin’s "Origin of Species" (1859) came as a great shock to the Victorian public and was condemned on all sides. This simply is not true… The question arises, therefore, as to why we have the impression that the church was opposed to Darwin’s theory? …Secular commentators, uninterested in distinctions between religious groups, have tended to let the opponents of evolution stand representative of the religious reaction to evolution…by suggesting that ‘religion’ itself was (and supposedly still is) opposed to evolution, they can go on to use this to suggest that ‘religion’ is opposed to ‘science’…”
Given how quick mainstream society is to internalize and regurgitate pseudoscientific claims about everything from Galileo to Quantum Mechanics, this is an incredibly valuable book. If we labor under powerful myths about the authority of science, the nature of scientific ideas, and the practice of science in modern society, then “Science” will quickly become the new opium of the people.
September 10, 2022
The extent to which Henry avoids mentioning *any* woman whose work is relevant to his "short history" is staggering, a monumental achievement. rip Lise Meitner, Caroline Herschel, Marie Curie, Émilie du Châtalet, guess you never had a scientific thought
February 23, 2015
This was the required reading for my History of Science class and as a person who doesn't know much/enough about science it was a really great starting point.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews