"For anyone interested in but intimidated by the scientific enterprise, The Ascent of Science provides an inviting assessment of the discipline. That it does so without diminishing either the complexity or the awe-inspiring power of science is a major accomplishment, one that opens the door to humanity's greatest intellectual adventure and reveals the many ways in which science has altered the way we see the world and ourselves."--Research and Innovation

Acknowledgments Preface Introduction 1. Newton Gets It Completely Wrong 2. I Believe 3. Thomas Aquinas versus Neil Armstrong 4. The Second Law 5. Predicting Catastrophe 6. From Newton to De Sade: The partial Triumph of Reason 7. From Rousseau to Blake: The Revolt against Reason 8. Lodestone, Amber, and Lightning 9. Belief and Action 10. The Demise of Alchemy 11. The Nineteenth Century 12. The Material Trinity: The Atom 13. The Stuff of Existence 14. Scipio's Dream 15. Making Waves 16. The Ubiquity of Motion 17. Energy 18. Entropy: Intimations of Mortality 19. Chaos 20. The Slow Birth of Biology 21. In a Monastery Garden 22. Evolution 23. The Descent of Man 24. The Gene Machine 25. The Lords of Nature? 26. Life: The Molecular Battle 27. The Origin of Life? Take Your Choice 28. The Inexplicable Quantum 29. New Ways of Thinking 30. The Land of Paradox 31. The Elementary Particles 32. Relativity 33. Cosmology 34. The Cosmos and Peeping Tom 35. The Impossibility of Creation 36. The Tree of Death 37. "What the Devil Does It All Mean?" 38. The Future Annotated Bibliography Index

Brian L. Silver

"Silver's writing is a rich mix of details and generalities, of abstract concepts and personal glimpses. He invites the reader to sit at his knee while he reflects upon what has happened and up on the implications, perhaps, yet to be seen. He takes great care to weave a background picture around each event, that creates well-directed stories which leave the reader wanting more....Stories of discoveries in physics and chemistry are told with clarity and insight."--The American Biology Teacher "Like a good tour book, [this volume] takes us to all the principle locations in the realm and shows us not only what's to be found there, but also its history, its effect on history, philosophy, technology and society, and vignettes about local heroes.... A comprehensive, balanced, informative and charming book.... For [those] curious to know what science is really all about, this book makes very good one-stop shopping."-- The New York Times Book Review |k No