Making Modern Science, Second Edition

By Peter J. Bowler and Iwan Rhys Morus

Book Overview

In this new edition of the top-selling coursebook, seasoned historians Peter J. Bowler and Iwan Rhys Morus expand on their authoritative survey of how the development of science has shaped our world. Exploring both the history of science and its influence on modern thought, the authors chronicle the major developments in scientific thinking, from the revolutionary ideas of the seventeenth century to contemporary issues in genetics, physics, and more.

Thoroughly revised and expanded, the second edition draws on the latest research and scholarship. It also contains two entirely new chapters: one that explores the impact of computing on the development of science, and another that shows how the West used science and technology as tools for geopolitical expansion. Designed for entry-level college courses and as a single-volume introduction for the general reader, Making Modern Science presents the history of science not as a series of names and dates, but as an interconnected and complex web of relationships joining science and society.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 022636576X
• ISBN13: 9780226365763
• Release Date: August 2020
• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Length: 608 Pages
• Weight: 1.88 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Dense but thorough and well laid out

Bowler and Morus (B & M henceforth) set themselves two projects in this book. First, to create a general introductory overview of the history of science. Second, to introduce their reader (presumably an undergraduate history major) to arguments currently playing out amongst academics who study the history of science. They are pretty successful at both, although a reader who buys this book without already being aware of the academic controversies may occasionally be puzzled by some of the positions that B & M take. The tone is a bit dry and the number of facts per page can be overwhelming to someone who is learning this material for the first time. It's more of a textbook than a pleasure read. However, to my knowledge they have done an excellent job of covering relevant and significant people, events, connections to past knowledge, and social influences. On several occasions, their "conclusions" at the end of each chapter are unsupported (at least in this book) assertions rather than actual consequences of the evidence and arguments they cover. No doubt this is largely due to the difficulty of compressing 550 years of scientific discovery into a single volume. I consider this the chief weakness of the book. Otherwise, it accomplishes its intended purpose well. A professional historian will not need this book. A scientist or well educated layperson interested in history might find it overwhelming or simply too dense. But if you are looking for a middle ground between a completely academic volume and a pleasure read, or if you need a great bibliography or condensed summary volume, this is almost your only choice. Lucky for you it's well done.