History of Science in Society : From Philosophy to Utility

By Andrew Ede and Lesley B. Cormack

Book Overview

A History of Science in Society is a concise overview that introduces complex ideas in a non-technical fashion. Andrew Ede and Lesley B. Cormack trace the history of science through its continually changing place in society and explore the link between the pursuit of knowledge and the desire to make that knowledge useful. In this edition, the authors examine the robust intellectual exchange between East and West and provide new discussions of two women in science: Maria Merian and Maria Winkelmann. A chapter on the relationship between science and war has been added as well as a section on climate change. The further readings section has been updated to reflect recent contributions to the field. Other new features include timelines at the end of each chapter, 70 upgraded illustrations, and new maps of Renaissance Europe, Captain James Cook's voyages, the 2nd voyage of the Beagle , and the main war front during World War I.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1442604468
• ISBN13: 9781442604469
• Release Date: March 2012
• Publisher: University of Toronto Press
• Length: 277 Pages
• Weight: 0.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 7.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

elegant overview

The book has an ambitious remit of explaining the role of science in various societies, since the scientific method first emerged in ancient Greece. Of necessity, much detail has to be omitted. But the authors show skill in explaining the essence of the scientific method, and why some societies, like the Britain that started the Industrial Revolution, were able to apply it successfully. It is not a book about the intricate details of the sciences. It furnishes an elegantly written overview that gives a nontechnical reader an appreciation of how the sciences developed.