Product Description
Reveals the cutting edge of New Science and shows how established science disallows inquiry that challenges the status quo--even when it produces verifiable results

• Contains 43 essays by 19 researchers denoting cutting-edge, heretical, or suppressed scientific research, including Immanuel Velikovsky, Nikola Tesla, Rupert Sheldrake, and Masaru Emoto

• Edited by Atlantis Rising publisher, J. Douglas Kenyon

Following the model of his bestselling Forbidden History and Forbidden Religion, J. Douglas Kenyon has assembled from his bimonthly journal, Atlantis Rising, material that explores science and technology that has been suppressed by the orthodox scientific community--from the true function of the Great Pyramid and the megaliths at Nabta Playa to Immanuel Velikovsky’s astronomical insights, free energy from space, cold fusion, and Rupert Sheldrake’s research into telepathy and ESP.

There is an organized war going on in science between materialistic theory and anything that could be termed spiritual or metaphysical. For example, Masaru Emoto’s research into the energetics of water, although supported by photographic evidence, has been scoffed at by mainstream science because he has asserted that humans affect their surroundings with their thoughts. The materialism or absolute skepticism of the scientific establishment is detrimental to any scientific inquiry that thinks outside the box. This mentality is interested in preserving funding for its own projects, those that will not rock the establishment. From Tesla’s discovery of alternating current to Robert Schoch’s re-dating of the Sphinx, this book serves as a compelling introduction to the true history of alternative and New Science research. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Lotus Guide magazine
Forbidden Science: From Ancient Technologies to Free Energy
Edited by J. Douglas Kenyon
ISBN 1-59143-082-8 (Bear & Company, 2008)

We are finally waking up to how new information is suppressed and censored by powerful and entrenched organizations. This is due in part to our tendency to let in only the new information that supports previously held beliefs. In the academic realm it has more of a financial purpose, which is to maintain grants and funding for research projects. So this book is for the rest of us, who live in the reality that we are living through the greatest transformation in recorded history. We are coming to realize that consciousness not only affects matter but creates it, not the other way around, which is the traditional Newtonian view. Read what 19 cutting-edge scientists have to say about this and other "out of the box" discoveries that are being suppressed.

Rahasya Poe, Lotus Guide magazine
To Believe Or Not To Believe: The Social and Neurological Consequences of Belief Systems

Entertaining
I bought the book as a gift.My father really loved it.He finished it in like 5 days!!!!!!I would definitely recommend it just based on his talks about it.

Excellent & Unique Gift
This unusual topic lived up to its name. It's an excellent book for science buffs like my son-in-law ( a science teacher) who was the book recipient.

Buy the book
There a reviewer who commented on the chapter on chelation to 2 cardiologists and the cardiologists said chelation is "dangerous".Doctors should not give an opinion on something they know nothing about. Even the reviewer admitted his "ignorance" of the chelation subject, stating that "he did not know how old chelation treatement is."Well, here's the answer, it's over 50 years old!Chelation was started in the 1950s, and it was and still is FDA approved for lead poisoning.Then a funny thing happened in the 1950s:two workers got exposed to lead in their workplace and got chelation treatment for lead poisoning.The doctors were amazed that the EDTA, which is used in chelation treatment, cleaned out every artery of the entire body!They had the arteries of a 20 year old!Then since the 1970s, some doctors tried giving patients chelation therapy who did not want triple bypass surgery.A small number of doctors today are still today giving patients chelation treatment via an IV, and their names are listed in a book called "Toxic Metal Syndrome" by Casdorph and Walker. Insurance does not cover chelation unless it's used for lead poisoning.So getting IV based EDTA chelation is rather expensive.Today you can get cheap oral chelation treatment using an oral chelation product from [...] and let's get back to those two cardiologists who said chelation was "dangerous".Chelation treatment is only dangerous to THE POCKETBOOKS OF THE CARDIOLOGISTS, because if everyone in the entire country got EDTA chelation treatment, THEY WOULD GO BROKE, and go on welfare.By the way, triple bypass surgery only lasts about 10 to 12 years, and then when the artery clogs up again, you have to go through the operation again.So I suggest you buy this book, it has very valuable information.

Three stars
The first part of the book is mainly the author defending what most call alternative science, against mainstream scientists. It got a little off subject as the author named scientists that attack other scientists that have not accepted as mainstream science. I was losing interest at first, thinking this whole book would be nothing more than one arguement after the other against scientists that go out of their way to destroy people that dont fit into mainstream scientific research and discovery.
However, I understand why the author did this. I have seen too many scientists in all fields have their careers ruined over something they present that doesnt fit into the model of what is deemed acceptable. It has happened to countless archeologists that come forward with proof that civilization is older than the accepted model. And it goes on every day in every other field of scientific research and discovery.

As the book went on it got better. I like how the author gave background otherwise unknown to me, about scientists and people, and their discoveries.

Yet, when I got to chapter 24 I was thrown for a loop. Here the author presents an OBGYN talking about cardiology treatments. First red flag. I dont know how old the research is he is refering to. But chelation therapy has been proven NOT to be a good way to treat clogged vessels.
I let a couple of the cardiologists I work with read this chapter. One said, "this guy is dangerous", refering to the OBGYN.
EDTA, though highly toxic to humans is good for a number of things...industrial cleaning, as an oxidizing agent in photography, complexation of heavy metals during chlorine-free bleaching; stabilization of hydrogen peroxide in the paper industry,added into the borehole to inhibit mineral precipitation in the oilfield industry...get my point? Transporting a heart for transplant in it and using it on live patients to clear vessels-two different animals.

Another...page 92 has a picture of a Yogi levitating. I have seen this so many times. The "Yogi" hides the pole and platform on which he sits with his robes.

Ok, there are some red flags here. But dont let that put you off from buying this book! It is a good book. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading it and refer back to it while in debate and conversation with friends. It has some wonderful chapters on physics and spiritualism. In reading this book, I have been led to well over 30 other resources and books I have added to my library.

I own Forbidden Science/History and Religion. All have their weaknesses. But the good stuff far outweighs the questionable. It has served its purpose in my life. That being, THINK! QUESTION! And dont ever accept what someone else says is truth just because they have a degree.

If you are on the fence regarding purchasing this book or not...BUY IT! You will definatley find something worth your while within its covers.




... Read more

Product Description
The third book in this four-volume series, Rice is a single-source reference covering all aspects of rice, including its origins and history, the plants and genetics, production data and practices, and commercial practices. Chapters are written by leading international experts in the field. ... Read more

Product Description
Explore fascinating, often chilling "what if" accounts of the world that could have existed–and still might yet . . .

Science fiction’s most illustrious and visionary authors hold forth the ultimate alternate history collection. Here you’ll experience mind-bending tales that challenge your views of the past, present, and future, including:

• "The Lucky Strike": When The Lucky Strike is chosen over The Enola Gay to drop the first atomic bomb, fate takes an unexpected turn in Kim Stanley Robinson’s gripping tale.
• "Bring the Jubilee": Ward Moore’s novella masterpiece offers a rebel victory at Gettysburg which changes the course of the Civil War . . . and all of American history.
• "Through Road No Wither": After Hitler’s victory in World War II, two Nazi officers confront their destiny in Greg Bear’s apocalyptic vision of the future.
• "All the Myriad Ways": Murder or suicide, Ambrose Harmon’s death leads the police down an infinite number of pathways in Larry Niven’s brilliant and defining tale of alternatives and consequences.
• "Mozart in Mirrorshades": Bruce Sterling and Lewis Shiner explore a terrifying era as the future crashes into the past–with disastrous results.
. . . as well as works by Poul Anderson • Gregory Benford • Jack L. Chalker • Nicholas A. DiChario • Brad Linaweaver • William Sanders • Susan Shwartz • Allen Steele • and Harry Turtledove himself!

The definitive collection: fourteen seminal alternate history tales drawing readers into a universe of dramatic possibility and endless wonder.

Amazon.com Review
What if? Harry Turtledove, renowned alt-historian and the editor of this anthology, calls that question "those two mournful little words." But little though they might be, they inspired some of the previous century's most brilliant speculative fiction, including the 14 short stories collected here.

And with contributors like Poul Anderson, Greg Bear, Gregory Benford, Larry Niven, Kim Stanley Robinson, Bruce Sterling, and Turtledove himself, there's truly not a clunker in the bunch. All of these stories revolve around Turtledove's central beard-tugging question, but they vary wildly in style, mood, and approach. Many toy with how the future might be altered had some particular event turned out differently (what if the Confederates had won at Gettysburg, or the Enola Gay had crashed before making its fateful flight?), while others follow dimension-hoppers traveling through tangled branches of our timeline (as in Sterling's "Mozart in Mirrorshades," Anderson's "Eutopia," and Jack L. Chalker's surreal ferry ride through "Dance Band on the Titanic").

All but four of these stories were written in the last two decades of the century--before then, Turtledove suggests in part, we weren't scientifically certain about whether Martians and "oceans on Venus full of reptilian monsters" might exist, so we were satisfied by more conventional, planet-faring SF. But the ideas that the contributors wrestle with here, and that irresistible human urge to speculate about the implications of our actions (and whether our decisions matter at all), prove timeless. --Paul Hughes ... Read more

Customer Reviews (20)

Dreadfully boring - one of the worst Alternative Histories ever published
A very cliche'd collection of AH stories that revealed nothing of substance. I like to read AH in order to gain a better understanding of what really did happen in history. One of the ways to understand what did happen and why it happened is to examine what might have happened but didn't. Unfortunately this collection of stories offers no insights into historical events and besides that the stories are dreadfully boring. I have never heard of any of the authors before, other than Larry Niven and Turtledove himself. Their stories are not good either.

Here are the first five stories:

The lead-off is THE LUCKY STRIKE, a ludicrous tale of a conscious-tortured American bombardier on the Hiroshima A-bomb run who intenionally misses the aiming point and incenerates an empty forest instead of the city. The idea is ridiculous because:

A) Nobody on the plane knew enough about the atomic bomb to know what its effects on Hiroshima would be, yet the bombardier is tortured by the "atoms and x-rays" obliterating the city. The bombardier wouldn't have known what an x-ray was.

B) The idea that any American serviceman would be bothered by A-bombing a Japanese city is dubious. All knew that the Japanese tortured and murdered captured Americans by the thousands and butchered civilians in occupied countries by the millions. To Americans soldiers and airmen, killing Japanese was the moral equivalent of killing snakes. They would have a-bombed a hundred Japanese cities in a heartbeat if that was what it took to end the war.

THE WINTERBERRY is a story I read three times without comprehending what it was about.

ISLANDS IN THE SEA is a Turtledove extravaganza that opens with a boring monologue about something that happened with Islam during the middle ages. I've read over a dozen Harry Turtledove books and liked everything else he's written, but this one is a snore job.

SUPPOSE THEY GAVE A PEACE is a long-winded diatribe having to do with somebody's recollections of the Vietnam War. I read it a couple of times without comprehending what it was about. I lived through that time and should have got the point, if there had been one.

ALL THE MYRIAD WAYS is a cliche'd hack story by Larry Niven about billions of timelines resulting from time travel.

The rest of the stories are even less memorable.

Trying to read this garbage will either give you a headache or make you want to throw up.

terribly terribly weak
"Best alternate history stories"?? Barely readable as regular fiction, I suppose. But as alternate history fiction, completely worthless.

The authors seemed to come up with their plots first, then fit their "alternate histories" to those plots by using clearly far-fetched events and assumptions and twisting logic wherever they need.

If you're looking for depth of thought, exciting insights, or original ideas, look elsewhere.

Worse, some stories, like the opening one ('The Lucky Strike'), are overflowing with political agenda, presented in a very one-sided fashion.

This is a complete embarassment, especially for a book with such an ambitious name.

glaring lack of synopses
I've read a few of the stories. It's a decent collection. However, my reading time is limited. I don't have time to read the first few pages of each story to figure out what the subject is (to decide if I'm interested enough to read the entire story). You can guess a bit from some of the titles. But this book, like any good anthology, should have a brief synopsis, or at least a one-line description of the subject or theme of each story. Thank goodness some of the other reviewers here provided that.

Good but Uneven
There are some very good alternate history tales, some that are not so good and a few that seem to be less alternative history as merely action stories in another time.Three long stories stand out:THE LUCKY STRIKE - how the US dropped the bomb, won the war, and spared Japanese civilians.BRING THE JUBILEE manages to include the Civil War while still maintaining a small shred of credibility by starting in the 20th century.MOON OF ICE is one of the best Hitler Wins stories ever written.Unlike other tales in which the world is a giant slave camp, civilization evolves and Germany evolves along with it. ALL THE MYRIAD WAYS has my vote for the best short story.

A few are downright silly - SUPPOSE THEY GAVE A PEACE about the election of George McGovern. MOZART IN MIRRORSHADES is likewise unworthy of conclusion.One is struck that perhaps the most important event of the last century - the Russian Revolution & the advent of Marxist dictatorships - is strangely absent. In sheer numbers of people affected and human beings killed for ideology, nothing else comes close.All in all, a good, unevencollection.

Not living up to its title
They are not the best stories; in fact, some of them are quite boring. And not all of them are alternate history stories. What's alternate-historic or uchronic about "The death of Captain Future"?. Besides, at least four of them have been published in other anthologies: Victorious Hitler, Dangerous Visions and Mirroshades; "Bring the jubilee", was published all by itself.
All in all, a jumble of good, not so good, original and already-published, alternate or not, stories. ... Read more

Product Description
This introduction to the history of medicine begins with the evolution of infectious diseases at the end of the last ice age. It describes the origin of science and medicine in ancient civilizations, including China and India. The first third of the book covers the early period that is considered the "classical" history of medicine. The remainder describes the evolution of modern medicine and surgery up to the present. The final chapter is a history of medical economics and explains the origin of health insurance, HMOs and medical malpractice lawsuits, subjects explained nowhere else in the medical school curriculum.

There is a 40 page index and over 550 footnotes, most of them references to the original articles described in the text. A bibliography of essential sources is also included. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

Well done
Dr. Kennedy's to be commended. As a layperson, I found his "history" approachable, readable, and ultimately enjoyable. I particularly enjoyed his treatment of the origins of medicine and his history of the surgeon. Well done, sir! Highly recommended.

Excellent.
As a soon-to-be medical student, I am very glad I read this book and would highly recommend it to anyone going into the field.It was thought-provoking through and through and fairly easy to read even though it dealt with weighty topics.Since I came from a non-medicine related undergraduate major, I had to keep wikipedia close-by to look up terms and indulge curiosities as I read, and I ended up learning a lot that way, so I recommend others do similarly.

The Return of Humanism in Medicine: Hope for the Future
In this litigious time when physicians and all medical care workers tend to live under an umbrella of suspect brought on by the intervention of the media, vast lawsuits, big business (pharmaceutical companies) intervention, and computer access to data, there has occurred a response in the medical facilities to promote 'defensive medicine' to instruct the nascent students how to cope with the antagonistic world outside the halls of the teaching hospitals. This has resulted in less emphasis on the learning of the skills of the time honored Doctor-Patient relationship and in creating the aura that physicians dwell in glass dome sanctuaries of science: the quiet moments of sharing personal fears and concerns and relieving the pain in the souls of the patient and patients' families seem relics of the past house-call/caring-physician image.

Michael Kennedy in his book A BRIEF HISTORY OF DISEASE, SCIENCE & MEDICINE has done more to rectify this widening gap between physician and patient than any volume I have read. This meticulously written, dignified yet very warm and honest look at medicine from the Ice Age to the era of molecular and genetic concepts for the present and the future reads more like a fascinating novel than an academic treatise. There are facts and histories discussed here which will enlighten not only the general public but also the men and women of medicine - from premed student to retired doctor. It is simply an amazing source of knowledge while simultaneously being an honest, no-holds-barred review of how we came to this point in healthcare. And if ever there were a time when this book was needed, it is certainly now. Read this fascinating tome and learn not only the extraordinary progress made in the mystery of disease and physical meanderings away from the 'normal', but at the same time see just how vulnerable is the scientist and physician in dealing with new aspects of the art of practicing medicine through time.

Kennedy and his colleagues have added an important adjunct to the re-entry of humanism in the teaching of medicine at his alma mater: this book demonstrates that journey of commitment to resurrect the precious healing relationship between the doctor and those who approach him for succor. Read this book for a highly dignified history of medicine, for some amazing insights into disease process, and for reassurance the perhaps the return of the sanctity of healthcare delivery is a possibility. A fine and very important achievement, Dr. Kennedy! Grady Harp, January 09

Splendid piece of work, authoritative and readable
Brief this is not, but compared to some dry academic tomes it seems brief.University of Southern California professor Dr. Michael T. Kennedy has the all too rare gift of writing well which he combines with a passion for detail so that this history is packed with the bizarre, the fascinating, the arcane, and the all too often revolting facts of medical delusion, malpractice, and triumph that have characterized the long and tortured history of the healing arts.

Note well that this is a history not only of medicine and disease, but of science as well.The emphasis is on twentieth century developments, which is as it should be since so much has happened in recent times.This is not to say that the more distant past is neglected.Kennedy starts with the pre-history and follows the quest for health through Greek and Roman times to "The Rise of Islam and Arabic Medicine" (Chapter 5) with excursions into ayurvedic medicine (from India) and the traditional Chinese practices from antiquity.He even looks at European health, or the lack thereof, during the Dark and Middle Ages before the rise of science.When he gets to the modern or nearly modern era, Kennedy organizes less by chronology and more by subject matter.Some of the later chapters are about "Cardiac Surgery," "Transplantation," "Psychiatry," etc.I particularly liked the crisp way he dealt with psychoanalytic theory and the inefficacy of psychoanalysis.

Frankly, I don't know if there is anything else quite like this available.The recognized authority on the subject of the history of medicine in English, University College London's late Roy Porter wrote both a popular account, Blood and Guts: A Short History of Medicine (2002), and a full blown treatment, The Greatest Benefit to Mankind (1997) which Kennedy cites.I have read the former and it is to Kennedy's book as Mary Poppins is to Hamlet.There are other histories, but most are either not current or too voluminous or too restricted in content.

Dr. Kennedy shows how various ideas and methods were developed, how they stemmed from, or were in contrast to, earlier methods; and he highlights the personalities of the practitioners as he describes what they did or discovered.He also focuses on patients and their stories.His style is sharp and uncluttered.Sometimes he employs a dry, cynical wit.At other times his report takes on extra-medical aspects that lend depth and familiarity to his portraits, as when, for example, he reports on the tragic death of transplant pioneer, Dr. David Hume. (p. 388)

Here are some examples of the kind of detail that I found fascinating:

"The early Middle Ages saw little consumption of animal protein by the peasants, but legume production, which increased with the agricultural revolution, reduced the dependence on carbohydrates and led to rapid population growth again." (p. 69)

And on the following page: "Women lived shorter lives than men in the Middle Ages...This is attributed to the hazards of childbirth, but also to an iron deficient diet...[because] animal protein was not available."


"...[A]lthough opium offered some relief of pain...until the anesthesia era, speed was the sign of the good surgeon." (p. 85)

"Infectious diseases were uncommon in primitive societies because the available pool of susceptible individuals was too small and the contact with other groups was not common." (p. 87)Indeed, infectious disease is part of the price we pay for agriculture and civilization.

Quoting Freud: "I often console myself with the idea that, even though we achieve so little therapeutically, at least we understand why more cannot be achieved." (p. 401)This is doubly ironic since Freud was even deceived in what he thought he understood.A few pages later Kennedy drily remarks that psychotherapy "is useful in helping adults to deal with life stress.It has little or no role in treating psychosis.The serious mental illnesses are increasingly seen as biological disorders." (p. 424)

The only weakness of this book is that it could have used a more meticulous editor.(The proofreading is excellent.)Kennedy's writing style is fast-forward, actually suggesting to me how medical history might be written had somebody like, say, novelist James M. Cain taken his hand to it.The words just rush down the page.Kennedy has so much to say and he wants to get it all said.Sometimes one has to read a sentence twice since sometimes his tenses are a little eccentric, and parallel construction is not always strictly observed.

There are two indices, one for names, but I notice that the aforementioned Roy Porter, for example, does not appear in either of them.Probably the names in the footnotes were left out.Also the references (545 of them) are collected at the end of each chapter, which is fine, but there is no overall alphabetized bibliography.This is a pet peeve of mine since one has to chase through chapter after chapter to see if a particular work is cited.

However Kennedy more than makes up for this deficiency with what he calls a "Postscript" which is a lightly annotated bibliography organized into the categories, "Recommended Reading," "General Sources," and sources by individual chapters.

Bottom line: the best history of medicine that I have found and a delight to read.

I'm the auther
This is the paperback edition of the hard cover book that has been available since 2004. It is a trade paperback and exactly the same size and content as the hardcover edition. The book has been adopted by a number of colleges as a textbook in general biology courses and even in some high school AP summer programs. This change to the paperback edition will keep it available indefinitely and the sales of the hardcover edition were still going pretty well. I decided not to do a third printing as I was unsure of the continued level of interest. This is the same book. The second printing had correction of a few typesetting errors in the first but this version is exactly the same as the second printing. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (2)

Underwhelming chapter on magic
This is on the whole a competent survey text with a modern flavour. It would be too innocuous to review were it not for its one unique chapter on "Magic and the Origins of Modern Science," which is, I believe, Henry's primary area of expertise. This unimpressive chapter opens with a predictable straw man:

"A number of historians of science have refused to accept that something which they see as so irrational could have had any impact whatsoever upon the supremely rational pursuit of science. Their arguments seem to be based on mere prejudice, or a failure to understand the richness and complexity of the magical tradition." (p. 56)

Alas, our hero has barely issued this condemnation before he himself exhibits "prejudice" and "failure to understand" of the most blatant kind:

"Kepler ... can also be seen to have been deeply affected by the magical tradition of numerology. It is well known that a major stimulus to his work in cosmology was his attempt to answer the question of why there were only six planets. This is not a scientific question" (p. 58)

Of course this was in fact an eminently scientific question; Kepler thought so and his contemporaries agreed. Of course nowadays this old question is not part of the scientific corpus; it has been discarded just as the old question of what keeps a cart moving after one has stopped pushing it has been replaced by the new question of what makes it stop eventually. But these old questions were abandoned because they were no longer fruitful, not because they were intrinsically "unscientific"---nothing but "mere prejudice" can lead anyone to claim otherwise.

We may flip ahead to Newton for some more nonsense:

"The fact remains, anyway, that Newton was able to immediately accept Hooke's suggestion [of the inverse square law of gravity etc.], even though it depended upon the occult idea of forces capable of acting at a distance, because he was already attuned to think this way by his alchemical work." (pp. 64-65)

"Fact"?! What on earth is the justification for calling this a "fact"? Newton himself never asserted this "fact." Nor is it a "fact" of necessity, obviously, since history is full of people who "immediately accepted" the inverse square law without being "already attuned to think this way by alchemical work."

Although further examples would severely exacerbate the predicament, these two examples alone are enough, I think, to show that Henry's umbrella-conception of magic is so enormously vague and opportunistic that the entire chapter becomes pointless.

An indispensable and affordable research guide
Henry's overview of the key figures and concepts of the scientific revoulution is an admirable general resource for studying the political, cultural and religious background to early modern science.

This small andhighly accessible book is organized around an extensive bibliography thatis referenced throughout the chapters in bracketed footnote form, allowingreaders to pursue histories, concepts and themes by simply checking theback of the book for the articles and books Henry lists as key texts (thebibliography is extensive, up to date, and annotated).

The text isaccessible and well-written and would serve as a resource forundergraduates, novices, or as guide for more advanced studies -- I'mbeginning a dissertation on this period and have found this to be aninvaluable organizational tool and reference manual for my reading.

Myonly criticism is that the book is rather sparse on feminist/genderstudies/critiques, though it does offer a few key texts and a very briefoverview of feminist contributions.A broader description and moreinclusive listing of the recent contributions of gender studies to thefield would have extended the range of this impressive little volume.

Inaddition to chapters on the alchemical, cultural, and religious influenceson early natural philosophy, readers will find a succinct andthought-provoking analysis of historigraphical approaches to sciencestudies.

The bibliography is comprised of secondary sources and managesto be both extensive (245 entries) and selective, offering the principaltexts for the terms of each debate or discussion point. ... Read more

Product Description

The great biologist Louis Pasteur suppressed data that didn't support the case he was making. Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity was only 'confirmed' in 1919 because an eminent British scientist massaged his figures. Joseph Lister's famously spotless hospital wards were actually notoriously dirty. Gregor Mendel, supposed father of the science of heredity, never grasped the fundamental principles of 'Mendelian' genetics.  Often startling, always enthralling, Fabulous
Science reveals the truth behind these and many other myths in the history of science. - ;The great biologist Louis Pasteur suppressed data that didn't support the case he was making. Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity was only 'confirmed' in 1919 because an eminent British scientist massaged his figures. Joseph Lister's famously spotless hospital wards were actually notoriously dirty. Gregor Mendel, supposed father of the science of heredity, never grasped the fundamental principles of 'Mendelian' genetics.

Customer Reviews (1)

Science's Seamy Side
The science establishment admits that science is an `industry' exposed to market pressures: relentless demand for usable output, the need to promote its products and to parry bad publicity, the need to reconcile conflicts of interest between marketable research outcomes and validity of those outcomes (especially acute in the pharmaceutical industry).Today bogus science so widespread that the catchphrase `junk science' has become a label to nullify the prestige of the `science' label adeptly used to recruit the credibility of the naïve or the uninformed.Another effect is the nearly universal institution of codes of conduct to for scientists.

Waller bypasses this contemporary territory to come at his theme in a series of case studies of historically high profile achievements that have proved to be somewhat inflated, or outright `fabulous'.Among his cases are Louis Pasteur's disproof of spontaneous generation, Arthur Eddington's experimental proof of Einstein's general relativity theory, Joseph Lister's introduction of surgical antisepsis; Alexander Fleming's discovery of penicillin, Robert Millikan's discovery of the electron, and Darwin's `proof' of evolution.In each case the author identifies the legend to be corrected and then takes us inside the story of what actually happened.We are shown something of the personalities of the scientists involved and their motivation.The lesson concludes with guesses about why they behaved as they did and how they got away with it.I'll mention just one of Waller's cases.

It is the famous debate between Bishop Samuel Wilberforce and Thomas Huxley at a session of the 1860 British Association for the Advancement of Science, held in Oxford.According to legend, the encounter occurred before a packed auditorium filled by anticipation of a confrontation between the eloquent Wilberforce, defending the permanence of species, and Huxley, defending evolution.Legend says that Wilberforce displayed his ignorance of Darwin's theory and was trounced and humiliated by the acerbic Huxley.The legendary debate condenses to an aphorism: Wilberforce taunted Huxley with the question whether he was descended from the ape on his father's side or his mother's side, to which Huxley retorted that he would rather be descended from an ape than from an august authority who abused his trust to obfuscate the truth.The devastating reply shifted the audience from partiality to the orthodox view to up-and-coming evolutionism.This had the larger significance that, for the first time, science openly challenged religion and proclaimed the two modes of thought must go separate ways.As Hallam puts it: `The [debate] ...was a landmark in the victory of scientific reason over faith and obfuscation.At least that is how Huxley & Co saw it.Were they right?Well, not exactly.'

First slippage: three journalists reported the session, but none mentioned the Wilberforce ape ancestry challenge and the Huxley rejoinder.Indeed, Huxley had said in previous conference sessions that he was not ashamed to admit his pithacoid ancestry.Second slippage: the `inextinguishable laughter' from the audience that Huxley, in correspondence, boasted that his retort produced is not reported by the journalists or others who commented on the event.These sources include Darwin's supporters Charles Lyell and Joseph Hooker.Third slippage: the session was not billed as a debate between Huxley and Wilberforce, but as a paper on the historical conflict between science and religion by one Dr John Draper, to be followed by open discussion.The audience expected Wilberforce to speak, but not Huxley, who attended the meeting only on a last minute decision.Fourth slippage:According to a statement in correspondence shortly after the event, Huxley's argument was not particularly effective or audible to the large audience.Wilberforce was indeed put down, but by botanist Joseph Hooker.The source? Joseph Hooker in a letter to Darwin!Fifth slippage: there is no record of what Wilberforce said, but we do have his review of the Origin that appeared shortly after the Oxford meeting.There he shows himself well acquainted with Darwin's book.Invoking his ecclesiastical office, he expressly defended Darwin's right to be heard.He accepted the principle of natural selection, but says that it is a well-known principle of species conservation (by eliminating the maladapted). He argued that Darwin simply recycled the opinions of his grandfather, Erasmus Darwin.Sixth slippage: Wilberforce's comments on the session express satisfaction that he had met the challenge handsomely.Waller's conclusion: Huxley's boastful letter, on which the legend is based, was a `face-saving device' of a man so immobilized by anger that he couldn't effectively speak.So Huxley was fibbing.In particular, his contention that Wilberforce engaged in deliberate obfuscation is unfounded.Waller concludes that the audience was fairly evenly divided between the two sides, each confident in its opinion.My own investigation of this debate reached the same conclusion, but with one difference: that it occurred at all, under British Association auspices, was a landmark in the transition to public acceptance of evolution.In that sense, the legend communicates a historical truth, but dressed in the mystique of the Darwin cult.

Fabulous Science a readable expedition into the exotic world of how science happens.Definitely merits a place on your wish list.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

An Excellent History of Science Fiction's Take on all Things Religious
Gabriel McKee sets out to explore how science fiction views theological issues, such as the nature of God, creation, souls, sin, and the afterlife, through how these have been portrayed in science fiction novels, television and film. Through the book the author uses his depth of science fiction knowledge to illustrate the connections that he has found between science fiction and religion. McKee uses illustrations from mainstream science fiction, like Battlestar Galactica (2003), Star Trek, Star Wars, the Matrix and the Twilight Zone, as well as science fiction that hardcore students of the genre will appreciate, like, Bova, Bradbury, Dick, Herbert, Heinlein, Silverberg and Vonnegut.

From the moment that I started reading McKee had me hooked. Admittedly, I am a big science fiction fan. Not just film either. My good friend Alvaro Zinos-Amaro made certain of this by providing a gift of the Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One, 1929-1964, which opened my eyes to the progress that science fiction has made through the years and also to the way that science fiction speaks to the zeitgeist.

Today, we are inundated by science fiction focused on the end of the world because we are worried about it. I am convinced that a student of history could read the science fiction of the day and get a better understanding of the concerns of the generation that they study than by using university history texts.

In the same way that science fiction is focused on the same things that all people are, it is only natural that we find science fiction to be preoccupied with religion. What more important question can there be than, "Is there a God?" Followed closely behind by, "If so what or who is it?" These are the starting points of any human's quest to find purpose. "Why am I here?" "How do I live?" or even, "Am I real?"

McKee's book is an enjoyable lesson in the history of science fiction that deals with religion. Fans of science fiction and people of faith will undoubtably enjoy this book immensly as I did.

Enthralling Theological Treatise
I thoroughly enjoyed this book.McKee seems to have taken all of his theology training, as well as thousands of hours of reading and viewing SciFi, to come up with a magnum opus.I kept on expecting him to leave out some major or theologically significant minor work of science fiction, but he always came through.McKee helpfully breaks down science fiction into various theological categories, from the nature of God to the afterlife to the presence of a soul, and looks through many examples in-depth to gain an understanding of how the genre as a whole treats theology.This is not a simple, dry list, but rather McKee integrates each movie and book into the discussion, weighing the treatment of the theology as well as the new ideas that the work bring to the table.

Though he obviously comes from a Christian standpoint, he is very balanced in his treatment, looking positively at pro-theistic and anti-theistic standpoints, as well as works embracing Islamic, Buddhist, and Hindu perspectives.You will never again be able to look at the science fiction genre as anti-religious, or even irreligious.(One juicy tidbit is McKee's very convincing revelation that science fiction is simply the modern aspect of the ancient apocalyptic religious genre.)The primary drawback of this book is that I now have a whole host of new books to read, even though I decided to peruse only about 5% of the books mentioned.

A Rare Reflection on Spiritual Connections within Science Fiction
Writing this review in 2009, when it's clear that science fiction dominates American popular culture, I'm surprised we haven't had more solid book-length explorations of the genre from a biblical perspective. To be sure, Gabriel McKee's reflection isn't a traditional "Bible study" format. There have been a number of very popular books and entire sets of multimedia educational materials that go back and forth from video to specific biblical lessons. This is not that book.

But as the "Star Trek" origins movie opened this year, I searched far and wide for a good spiritual analysis of the series that, as a journalist, I could share with my own readers. I wound up turning to Gabriel's book and even interviewing Gabriel for our "Star Trek" coverage. If you're specifically a Trekkie, though, I should stress-this is a book about the whole genre and the TV series is only one thread that runs through the book.

The volume is very helpful in lifting up specific examples out of a wide variety of sci-fi works, then weaving together the themes into provocative back-and-forth discussions of spiritual principles. I recommend it highly. And partly I'm saying this because Gabriel McKee's analysis here is rare in its scope. You'll find yourself wanting to go back and see a lot of movies, watch some old TV and re-read a bunch of good sci-fi novels.

Interesting, insightful, and well-researched
A groundbreaking and illuminating book. McKee's main thesis is that science fiction is inherently religious in nature, because it deals with the big-picture issues of human existence: What does it mean to be human? What is the nature of the universe? Where did we come from and where are we going? SF at its core is speculative; it speculates about possible futures, whether in the form of dystopias for us to avoid, utopias for us to strive for, or bizarre worlds that drive us to contemplate the deep issues of existence. At the same time, these visions of the future serve as commentaries and warnings about where we seem to be heading.

McKee basically sets up his thesis that SF deals with religious themes and then spends the majority of the book doing brief summaries of various novels, short stories, and films, tracing the answers each story offers to the big questions. The book is helpfully structured around systematic theological categories: God, Creation, the Soul, Free Will, Evil, Salvation, etc. Most of it is analysis of SF stories, with (mercifully) a minimal amount of McKee's own theological views, which tend toward the theologically liberal. The analysis is usually insightful, though his conclusion that with the help of SF we can "forge the faith of the future" betrays a naive view of faith as something we create. Overall, a fascinating read that helps one understand and appreciate more deeply a genre that is at the forefront of our culture's grappling with the big philosophical and spiritual issues.

Short review but I enjoyed this book
As both an author and reader of fiction I was impressed with (the Gospel According to Science Fiction). I guess I have always enjoyed books that could hold my attention and make me think at the same time. I recommend this book.
Tommy Taylor
Author - The Second Virgin Birth ... Read more

Product Description
Emphasizing its historical, methodological and constructive dimensions, Religion and Science takes the pulse of pertinent current research as the interdisciplinary study of science and religion gains momentum. ... Read more

Product Description

 This introduction to materials science for engineers examines not only the physical and engineering properies of materials, but also their history, uses, development, and some of the implications of resource depletion, materials substitutions, and so forth. Topics covered include: the stone, copper, bronze, and iron ages; physical properties of metals, ceramics, and plastics; electrical and magnetic properties of metals, semiconductors, and insulators; band structure of metals; metallurgy of iron.

Customer Reviews (2)

New focus on material science
The text shows an excelent review of materials science fundaments and their relationship with history and current applications including conventional and new materials used in modern applications such as electronic and medicine. Problems with answers are also included. It is hard to find similar books about this subject that interestingly show historical aspects in conjuntion with basic aspects of materials.

Expert readers can probably find some topics too basic . However, the aim of the author seems to be to invite materials science beginners to be in touch with this fascinating world (such as students and young scientists and engineers). Academics can also find in this book useful information to support introductory courses and seminars concerning materials science and engineering.

I hope that Prof. Hummel can enlarge some contents in future editions adding still more historical aspects. Nevertheless, my congratulations to Prof. Hummel on the second edition.

Best book on history of materials!
Even though I'm an anthropologist by training, I found this book to be the easiest, most knowledgable and enjoyable text I've ever seen on materials and the role they've played in shaping both mankind, culture and thehistory of the field of materials science.Dr Hummel has written abrilliant and enlightening explanation of what makes "it" alltick.But he doesn't stop there.Materials students will appreciate thescientific explanations, problems and colorful illustrations (in the centerof the book)that make this a true scientific text (not just for laypersonslike myself).If I were to give myself one book for Christmas, it would bethis one. ... Read more

Product Description
An illustrated cultural history of drug use from its roots in animal intoxication to its future in designer neurochemicals

• Featuring artwork from the upcoming High Society exhibition at the Wellcome Collection in London, one of the world’s greatest medical history collections

• Explores the roles drugs play in different cultures as medicines, religious sacraments, status symbols, and coveted trade goods

• Reveals how drugs drove the global trade and cultural exchange that made the modern world

• Examines the causes of drug prohibitions a century ago and the current “war on drugs”

Every society is a high society. Every day people drink coffee on European terraces and kava in Pacific villages; chew betel nut in Indonesian markets and coca leaf on Andean mountainsides; swallow ecstasy tablets in the clubs of Amsterdam and opium pills in the deserts of Rajastan; smoke hashish in Himalayan temples and tobacco and marijuana in every nation on earth.

Exploring the spectrum of drug use throughout history--from its roots in animal intoxication to its future in designer neurochemicals--High Society paints vivid portraits of the roles drugs play in different cultures as medicines, religious sacraments, status symbols, and coveted trade goods. From the botanicals of the classical world through the mind-bending self-experiments of 18th- and 19th-century scientists to the synthetic molecules that have transformed our understanding of the brain, Mike Jay reveals how drugs such as tobacco, tea, and opium drove the global trade and cultural exchange that created the modern world and examines the forces that led to the prohibition of opium and cocaine a century ago and the “war on drugs” that rages today.
... Read more

Product Description
This introduction to the history of science in the seventeenth century examines the so-called 'scientific revolution' in terms of the interplay between two major themes. The Platonic-Pythagorean tradition looked on nature in geometric terms with the conviction that the cosmos was constructed according to the principles of mathematical order, while the mechanical philosophy conceived of nature as a huge machine and sought to explain the hidden mechanisms behind phenomena. Pursuing different goals, these two movements of thought tended to conflict with each other, and more than the obviously mathematical sciences were affected - the influence spread as far as chemistry and the life sciences. As this book demonstrates, the full fruition of the scientific revolution required a resolution of the tension between the two dominant trends. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Another review
First, I want to abandon any pretentions of expertise in the history of ideas or science. With that caveat in mind, or out of mind, I agree with one of the other posters who said "the historiography is dated." Although the author defends himself against the use of "social and political" currents, --- I find that the latter criticism is extrensic to the authors stated purpose. However, As a history of ideas this work fails for me.

First, the author assumes some psuedo- hegalian, "spirit" without naming it as such, as a way of interpreting the development of ideas in the disclipines (chemistry, physics, biology) across time. So, why does author X, (insert Pascal if you like and his tube experiments), fail to realize Y, since he lacked Z (which by the way was not discovered until the 19th century).Wellthe "facts" of science only require the puzzling arrangment of certain variables which are always already discovered in advance.I wonder how the author would respond to this criticism, well he wouldn't read it, but still I wonder with deep awe and all of the psychical imagination of my neoplatonic spirit of the Renaissance.

The freedom of thought!
Classical antiquity and the Greek and Roman worlds are the source of and foundation of modern science. Without Aristotle, Pythagoras, Democritus, Ptolemy, Vitruvius, Archimedes, Ptolemy and many others we would not have Newton, Malpighi, Leibniz, Kepler, Galileo, Descartes, Copernico or Einstein.

In this sense this book is a very interesting journey through the development of the Modern Science, and its countless obstacles to surmount with the Status Quo of different ages and historical moments

Albert Einstein stated once "The science without religion is cripple but the religion without science is blind."

Totally recommended.

A staple of university history of Science courses
Good introduction to the history of early modern science. Historiographically a little dated and therefore lacking in the thorough treatment of the broader social and political origins of science in this time period. Still, it is a classic.

Crystal clear style, illuminating depth on the scientific process
There are several aspects of this book that render it superior but the one aspect which stands out is manner in which the author presents the reasoning behind the development of a revolutionary scientific idea from the perspective of the originator of the idea, and the process by which the originator used developing philosophical trends, and scientific methods to fully realize a new idea despite the mental entanglements of centuries-old "factual" dogma or presuppositions about natural law.Beautifully presented and fully relevant diagrams as well.The first chapter is the clearest description I've ever read of the rationale behind the development of Kepler's Laws.

Great introduction to the 17th century scientific revolution
This book really is a great introduction to the scientific revolution of the 17th century. It's part of a series of books called "History of Science Series" and is dedicated to bringing the history of science to a wider audience. It presents the general reader with an accurate, short narrative and analysis of the scientific revolution of the 17th century. Unlike other books on this subject it does not require the reader to be familiar with a lot of technical background knowledge.

Two major themes dominated the period covered in the book; the Platonic-Pythagorean tradition, which looked on nature in geometric terms, and the mechanical philosophy, which conceived of nature as a huge machine and sought to explain the hidden mechanisms behind phenomena. These themes run through the various chapters of the book. Starting out in the first chapter with the copernican revolution in astronomy (the heliocentric theory) it shows how two men, Kepler and Galileo, reformed the theory and opened up new questions for the comming century. The following chapters cover the various sciences such as mechanics, chemistry and biology. After an interluding chapter covering the organization of the scientific enterprise (showing that universities were not always the principal centers of scientific research) it ends with two chapters in which the two themes mentioned above are drawn together and ultimately lead to the discovery of Newton's laws, solving major problems opened up at the beginning of the century.

I had to read this book as part of a course at the university where I study. I enjoyed the book (and the course) a lot (which I don't say verry often) even though it doesn't have anything to do the primary subject of my study, business information technology. If you're at all 'science minded' this book is a must. You wont regret purchasing it. ... Read more

Product Description

Though the book focuses more on physical sciences than biology andmedicine, this serves the author well, as the metascientific advances of theperiod were concentrated within astronomy, physics, and mathematics. Eventhose readers without grade pressure will find that careful scrutiny paysoff well; Dear includes a huge list of resources to follow up with afterfinishing this work of necessarily limited scope. Revolutionizing theSciences offers a broad perspective on how modern--and evenpostmodern--science came to be, and for that it deserves wide attention.--Rob Lightner ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Barely adequate
This is a barely adequate survey text. There are many imperfections, of which I shall notea few.

It is claimed that the scientific revolution was based on a resurrection of mathematics from the "pure" and inapplicable. For example: "Galileo and other mathematicians rejected the disciplinary boundary between natural philosophy and mathematics by arguing that mathematics was crucially important in drawing legitimate physical conclusions." (p. 73). "This is where Galileo is such a useful figure" (p. 72). Who ever ever tried to uphold this "disciplinary boundary"? No one is named; there is no quotation or reference, other than generic talk of "Aristotelians," the perpetual villains who are never specified. Similarly, the foolish distinction between "pure" and "mixed" mathematics is also called "Aristotelian" (p. 17). There is no reference to Aristotle for the simple reason that there is none. Aristotle never made such a nonsensical division, nor did anyone with half a brain. The terms in fact originate with Bacon and were invented for his specific propaganda purposes. But Dear swallows it uncritically as absolute truth. Dear is right that "all revolutions are revolution against something" (p. 3), but he fails to consider the possibility that the revolution defines itself against a straw man.

Dear claims that "Kepler responded to the challenge [of Tycho's system] by producing models that could be expressed in Ptolemaic, Copernican, or Tychonic terms" (pp. 76-77). This is complete nonsense. There are no such models. Kepler discussed the three systems only once, in the early part of the Astronomia Nova, solely for the explicit purpose of rejecting the unwanted ones, because the latter parts (to which the first part necessarily lead) of the book are completely inconsistent with those views.

More nonsense occurs in the case of Newton: "Leibniz, Huygens, and other continental philosophers such as Régis had reacted critically when Newton published the Principia in 1687. Their main objections amounted to dismissing the pretensions of Newton's book: rather than presenting a true work on natural philosophy, Newton had simply presented mathematical descriptions dressed up as natural philosophy [in not providing an explanation for gravity]." (p. 164). What are these "pretensions" that are being "dismissed"? Not a single word of the Principia was being so dismissed. In fact Newton shared these views exactly (p. 163). Only a poor historian who is indoctrinated with clichés can manage to see a conflict and "dismissal" where there is in fact perfect agreement.

very good for purpose
This book is quite short for the topic. However, its purpose is to familiarize one with the scientific revolution. It does a good job pointing out the system of thought prior to the Scientific Revolution and how it evolved up to Newton. The book is perfect for an upper division course on the scientific revolution. However, due to the concise nature of the book, it should be used as a general background to the era or movement--which it is for the course I am taking. Dear spent some time addressing most key figures during the era, and produced a good starting text for those who do not have any background on the topic. It is well written and easily read.

I would suggest this text to all history majors, and also to those who are interested in the scientific revolution. ... Read more

Product Description
The first full-scale introduction to and history of cognitive science. An interdisciplinary study of the nature of knowledge by the noted cognitive scientist and author of Frames of Mind. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

A HELPFUL HISTORY (ALBEIT AS OF 1985) OF COGNITIVE SCIENCES
Howard Gardner (born 1943) is an American developmental psychologist and Professor of Cognition at Harvard University.

He states in the Preface to this 1985 book, "I decided that it would be useful and rewarding to undertake a study in which I would rely heavily on the testimony of those scholars who had founded the field as well as those who were at present its most active workers. But in lieu of an oral history or a journalistic account of current laboratory work ... I decided to make a comprehensive investigation of cognitive science in which I could include the long view---the philosophical origins, the histories of each of the respective fields, the current work that appears most central, and my own assessment of the prospects for this ambitious field."He then adds in an Epilogue to the paperback edition of the book, "the research program described in 'The Mind's New Science' is being actively pursued on many fronts: a substantially changed second edition could be written, describing advances in our understanding of visual perception, natural language processing, imaging, categorization, and human rationality."

Here are some representative quotations from the book:

"Having no insight about the subject matter of a problem, the computer is consigned to make blunders that, in human beings, would never happen or would be considered extremely stupid."
"Here we are, two thousand years after the first discussions about perception, several hundred years after the philosophical debates between the empiricists and the rationalists first raged, and leading scientists are still disagreeing about fundamentals."
"I find it distorted to conceive of human beings apart from their membership in a species that has evolved over the millenia, and as other than organisms who themselves develop according to a complex interaction between genetic proclivities and environmental processes over a lifetime. To the extent that thought processes reflect these bio-developmental factors and are suffused with regressions, anticipations, frustrations, and ambivalent feelings, they will differ in fundamental ways from those exhibited by a nonorganic system."

Good historical background, but ferociously obsolete
IF you want a REALLY good cognitive science primer don't buy this book.

Best Cognitive Science Primer --> MIND: Introduction to Cognitive Science, 3rd Edition, By Paul Thagard, ISBN(13): 978-0-262-70109-9 , The MIT Press. See my review at amazon.com

This book, "The Mind's New Science", provides good historical perspective on cognitive science before 1985. "MIND" does so in less detail. The text was written while the information revolution was in it's infancy and it shows.The chapters on mental representations are archaic but provide an excellant opportunity to see the evolution of the science as well as author's quite understandable student-of-psychology bias.The author is a well-respected academic from Cambridge, MA.But this is an "inside cognitive science book written by an "insider".

The author knows too much about cognitive science and forgets to share that knowledge with the reader.It is a very well done essay or report for "those in the know" - for the rest of us??

As a learning tool this is an unremarkable text.The author's style is obtuse and reminscent of early 19th century philosophers.The flow of prose is stilted by rigorous adherence to grammar and terminology.The author fails to fully define concepts inherently referenced. My most freqent experience was bewilderment at the end of each paragraph.By careful dissection of each sentence I could MOSTLY figure out what information I needed to have - and did not -in order to UNDERSTAND what he just said.

My personal assessment----> The text is not a textbook designed for students, the goal of this book is NOT to illuminate the realm of inquiry into human cognition.The book is a very long persuasive essay whose thesis statement is: "The maturation of cognitive science DOES NOT eliminate the NEED for philosophy as a specific discipline".

***THE END*** :)

Decent supplement to broader study, but too biased by itself
The book is a history of ideas. This breaks down into some light historical content, and much presentation of positions (sometimes with a little supporting argument).

As a history, I would compare this book to what you might expect from an account of the Cuban revolution written by a relatively conscientious Castro partisan: sensitive reports of leaders' statements, factual aspects painted in slightly punched-up colors with a vague and gentle brush, heroics and ideology emphasized. Naturally, you can expect a wildly inaccurate and polemic treatment of 'life before the revolution.'

As a presentation of ideas, its main virtue is its fidelity. Gardner has taken up the opinions of a handful of big-name cognitivists and represented them here. You could tell who was saying what without any citations, just from what is written. As such, it would be undoubtedly useful for reviewing just what claims people liked to make during the revolution, not too unlike having a set of extracts from classic guerilla texts.

The claims themselves are a parade of ad hominem attacks, conclusive strikes on straw men, vast overstatements, and unbelievable exclusions (e.g., cognitive psychology can't even peripherally be bothered with: emotion, cultural or social factors, or the state of the environment at any point). There is no use in adopting these viewpoints, nor in arguing against them. They are out of touch. Gardner himself has a few interesting things to say about psychology getting involved with epistemological issues, but here they don't amount to more than an appetizer. Too bad, since I thought these were pretty interesting and much more substantive than what Gardner was reporting on.

Given the above, I would only recommend the book as supplementary material in a broader look at the history of psychology, or in order to satisfy very casual interests in the history of cognitivist ideas. You should not bother with this book if you want an introduction to or a clearer understanding of cognitivism, nor if you want support for or ammunition against cognitive work as it is practiced. If these are your goals, you should instead get in contact with research, whether by text or by directly checking out articles.

Impressive.
This is a very readable, very complete introduction/history to the thinking, questions and issues underlying cognitive science from its philosophical origins. It pulls many threads together to give a cohesiveand complementary account of the development of the fields involved incognitive science in a way that garners a strong feel for the field forthose new to it, and that will grant new insights to those well acquaintedwith the field.

Damn impressive, all told. ... Read more

Product Description
In Recording Oral History, Second Edition, Valerie Raleigh Yow builds on the foundation of her classic text with a fully updated and substantially expanded new edition. One of the most widely used and highly regarded textbooks ever published in the field, Yow's updated edition now includes new material on using the internet, an examination of the interactions between oral history and memory processes, and analysis of testimony and the interpretation of meanings in different contexts. It will interest researchers and students in a wide variety of disciplines including history, sociology, anthropology, education, psychology, social work, and ethnographic methods. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

good service
I needed this book for a class. It is direct a great text book. It is informative and useful. ... Read more

Product Description
In this age of genetic engineering and global warming, it is more important than ever to understand the history and current trends of science and technology. With so much information out there, though, it"s hard to know where to start. That"s where The History of Science and Technology — the most comprehensive and up-to-date chronology of its kind — comes in.
From the first stone tools to the first robot surgery, this easy-to-read, handy reference book offers more than seven thousand concise entries organized within ten major historical periods and categorized by subject, such as archaeology, biology, computers, food and agriculture, medicine and health, materials, and transportation. You can follow the world"s scientific and technological feats forward or backward, year by year, and subject by subject. Under 8400 BCE Construction, you will discover that the oldest known wall was built in Jericho. Jump to 1454 Communication and you will learn about Johann Gutenberg"s invention of movable type. Take an even larger leap to 2002 Computers and find out about the invention of the Earth Simulator, a Japanese supercomputer.

The History of Science and Technology answers all the what, when, why, and how questions about our world"s greatest discoveries and inventions: How are bridges built? When were bifocal eyeglasses invented and by whom? What medical discovery led to the introduction of sterilization, vaccines, and antibiotics? What is the PCR (polymerase chain reaction) process, and why is it one of the pillars of the biotechnology revolution? Not only can you discover how our world came to be and how it works, but with cross-referenced entries you can also trace many intricate and exciting connections across time.

Highly browsable yet richly detailed, expertly researched and indexed, The History of Science and Technology is the perfect desktop reference for both the science novice and the technologically advanced reader alike. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Fantastic Book
This book is a requirement for one of my college courses.There is so much information in this book about science, inventions, and discoveries.The negative; it's in date order.If you are trying to research by subject it would be difficult in this book.If you are search by time, this book is excellent.This is one of my books that I will keep after my class is completed.

A Great Price
This book originally retailed for $40.I ordered it for less than $10 (plus shipping!)I'm very pleased with this order as it's a great reference book that I'm sure I will use over and over again.

The history of science and technology
I thought it was going to be a written history of science and technolgy in story form but it was a short snippits of science and technology in chronological form.I wanted background.

judge 1950

Book Recommendation
Large impressive book with no obvious errors noticed on perusal.

Better than expected and recommended.

Chronology Over Context
There are a number of encyclopedias and reference works covering the history of science and technology. The nature of most of these is to cover a topic ("Galileo," "Medieval Astronomy," etc.) in the format of an article. This particular work, however, takes a different approach: it reviews the history of science and technology chronologically, from prehistory to 2003. The author states clearly in the introduction, "the main body of the book is a chronicle of virtually everything that has happened in science and technology, including false steps and ignored precursors." Ambitious indeed.

This book divides the history of science and technology into ten sections: 1. Prehistory; 2. Antiquity; 3. Medieval Science and Technology; 4. The Renaissance and Scientific Revolution; 5. The Scientific Method; 6. The Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution; 7. The Nineteenth Century; 8. Modern Science and Technology; 9. Big Science and Post Industrial Society; and finally 10. The Information Age

While these are not conventional periods they work OK for the purposes of the book. However, the end result is to provide a century-by-century, decade-by-decade, year-by-year sampling of the different ideas and inventions as they happened. Because these developments are simply placed in order of the year they were produced, and not connected in any significant way to events that preceded them and made them possible, there is very little context to any of these discoveries and inventions. This is essentially a reference work at the high-school level.

With a book formatted in this way a good index is crucial. Fortunately, this book has a massive one. So, while you can't look up, say, "medieval astronomy," you can look up "astrolabe" and "Ptolemy" (assuming you already know that is what you should be looking for). Thus while this book offers very little in the way of context, it lives up to its subtitle as a "browser's guide." For those interested in a year-by-year approach to historical developments in science and technology, this is the book for you. ... Read more

Product Description
Submarine voyages. Nuclear explosions. Men on the moon. Today they belong to history, but science fiction first brought them to our attention often decades before any actual invention. But this often misunderstood genre does more than predict the future. Foremost, it entertains, but it also changes our perspective, giving us a glimpse of the present we would otherwise miss.

This book is a brief introduction to the genre. It provides the history of science fictions five major time periods, and shows the culture that influenced the work.

This book is also sold as an anthology that includes dozens of classic science fiction stories. Search for "A History of Science Fiction" for all editions of the book.

Visit minutehelpguides.com for other books published by Minute Help.
... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (4)

Most influential book on Horror Films ever made!
Carlos Clarens pioneering book,"A History of Horror and Science Fiction Films",has never gone fully out of print since it's publication in 1967.

An absolute classic,this was one of the only books at the time to give an in depth,intelligent view of the genre.
This and Drake Douglas'"Horror!" were the only books on the subject at the time.

Clarens gives a close examination of the Fantastic film,providing an entire chapter on the genre's godfather,the great George Melies and moving on to the impact provided by the German film industry and Lon Chaney.

Of course,the Universal classics are than covered and there contemporaries,but what made this book unique was also it's appraisal of neglected classics like Freaks(1932),White Zombie(1932),Island of Lost Souls(1933) and an entire chapter(The Dead Next Door) dedicated to Carl Dreyer's Vampyr(1932).

Clarens even goes over the Science Fiction films and Hammer films of the 50s and 60s.
These films were never recieving any such critical assessment at the time,and it made this work that much more commendable.

Ironically,over forty years have passed since it's inital publication,but Claren's views on the genre still remain very relevant and true,making this history an essential part of any Film Studies and any Film lover's collection.

A truly important book,well worth seeking out.

A Classic to Read and Remember--Not For Skimming!
Like another reviewer, I first read the '67 edition of Clarens' book when I was in high school.Already a horror movie fan, I needed context and appreciation of the genre, and that's exactly what this wonderful book provided, then and now.This is a book for the serious fan in search of a history of both the technique and ideas behind horror films.Clarens' observations about specific films' production, actors' performances, and even camera tricks will stay with you and help you to enjoy horror movies, old and new, even more than you did before.It is illustrated well, but it's an illustrated history, not an annotated photo catalog. Thus this is a book with terrific words and ideas, plus images--it's not intended to be a glossy fan mag with captions.Approach it with an expectation of ideas plus a few images, and let your imagination work its magic. Read the book to understand the big picture--not just to savor a few illustrations.I'm thrilled with the re-issue, and expect the book to support intelligent fans as well as cinema scholars.It's a book to keep, appreciate, and savor.

Disappointed
If your looking for a book that has the plots and story lines of the horror and science fiction movies of the 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s, this ISN"T it. If your looking for a lot of old prints from the samemovies, this ISN'T it. The word "ILLUSTATED" in the title must bean error, in a book of 256 pages there are 135 pictures (mostly small,most on the same pages)

Certainly the place to start-- the very best survey
I read this in its original 1967 edition when I was very young, and it inspired a life-long love of horror films (at that time the Science Fiction content was not in the title, though it was found in the book).Clarens'effort is clear and concise-- not too much on any one thing, but he managesto hit all the necessarys and high spots.It's really indispensible forthe fan who's starting out in a serious study of the subject-- or who justloves horror. ... Read more

Product Description
“Dozens of short essays, each prompted by one of science’s visual creations . . . beautiful.”—George Johnson, New York Times Book ReviewWe live in a visual age—an age of images; iconic, instant, and influential. In this remarkable book, John D. Barrow traces their history in order to tell the story of modern science.

Some images, such as Robert Hooke’s first microscopic views of the natural world or the stunning images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, were made possible by our new technical capabilities. Others, such as the first graph, were breathtakingly simple but perennially useful. Many of these images have shattered our preconceptions about the limits and nature of existence, and together they reveal something of the beauty and truth of the universe, and why, so often, a picture is better than a thousand words. 190 illustrations ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Cosmic Images, Mental Gymnastics
Suppose one's task is to review Finnegan's Wake.Daunting?I approached thistask with a lesser version of that trepidation.Cosmic Imagery, as may be inferred solely from the titles of Barrow's other works, is conceived on a preternaturally broad canvas.

Accordingly, budget a generous space on the coffee table for this project, and an equally generous portion of time -- and not leisure time.

Advice to readers might well include:

* Read with a netbook nearby. You may need some Wikipedia refreshers to catch up on science concepts that you have forgotten or neglected in your science education.

* Prepare for a roller coaster ride across disparate specializations -- not just cosmology and astronomy, as the Cosmic's title implies -- but historical footnotes like the "anthropocentric piece of interstellar advertising" affixed to the Pioneer 10 Jupiter probe in 1972, drawings of flying saucers from science fiction comic artists like Alex Schomburg,and the frozen geometry of self-taught, snowflake-obsessed Wilson Bentley.

* While Barrow's preface argues that pictures "save words . . . change the pace, alter the style and make things more memorable," in fact you'll have to do much more than simply stare at the ponderable images in his collection. The images sometimes require painstaking explanations -- painstaking, because Barrow wants to avoid being sidelined by the underlying science.Laudable, but probably an impossible ambition.

* As with any good coffee table book, Cosmic Imagery can be opened to any chapter at random. Open to "Stepping Out: Laetoli Footprints"(p. 223) and you'll be treated to a line of hominid footprints left in Tanzania 3.6 million years ago.In "Two Easy Pieces: Aperiodic Tilings" (p. 397), a gallery of Islamic tilings is presented in tribute to an"almost overwhelming" exploration of "symmetry and periodicity."

To enjoy Barrow's work, an extended sitting may not be suitable.His museum of artifacts from the history of science (subtitle: "key images in the history of science") calls for a dizzying tour of divergent corridors and anterooms.Better to let the collection rattle around in the skull, as surely it did in Barrow's. How else could one explain Chapter 19, "Shapeliness: The Symmetries of Life" (p. 255), which begins with a quotation, as does every chapter:

He had the sort of face that, once seen,
is never remembered.

- Oscar Wilde

The image is Leonardo's Vitruvian Man from 1490.A tribute to symmetry -- yes, but Barrow doesn't leave it there.After remarking on the remarkable evolution of right-left symmetry in biological systems, he wryly observes that

The most interesting feature of the high degree of symmetry found in human faces and our external bodies is the contrast with the squalid muddle to be found under the skin. our bodies are not symmetrically engineered under the surface. Hearts are on the left, our brains are laid out in an asymmetrical fashion. . .

But there's more.Hypercubes, the normal distribution, the periodic table -- science-haters will begrudgingly admit and be fatigued by Barrow's restless quest for images that inspire.The book is effort, and coffee tables will bow as if the book was ten times its weight. But Barrow's work is it itself inspired, not by coincidence quoting from a great seer who got science wrong but understood its fearsome symmetry:

To see a World in a Grain ofSand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour.

-William Blake

Cosmic Imagery succeeds to such an extent that the music its visual/verbal modalities lack can be heard rising up from the covers when the book is set down.It is a small achievement about the grand achievements of others, which is itself a kind of perfect symmetry. ... Read more