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The Edge of Objectivity: An Essay in the History of Scientific Ideas
From Galileo's analysis of motion to the theories of evolution and relativity, Charles Gillispie takes us on a masterly tour of the world of scientific ideas. The history of modern science is portrayed here as the development of objectivity through the study of nature.
In the mid-1950s, a young professor at Princeton named Charles Gillispie began teaching Humanities 304, one of the first undergraduate courses offered anywhere in the world on the history of science. From start to finish--Galileo to Einstein--Gillispie introduced the students to the key ideas and individuals in science. "The Edge of Objectivity" arose out of this course.
It must have been a lively class. "The Edge of Objectivity" is pointed, opinionated, and selective. Even at six hundred pages, the book is, as the title suggests, an essay. Gillispie is unafraid to rate Mendel higher than Darwin, Maxwell above Faraday. Full of wry turns of phrase, the book effectively captures people and places. And throughout the book, Gillispie pushes an argument. He views science as the progressive development of more objective, detached, mathematical ways of viewing the world, and he orchestrates his characters and ideas around this theme.
In the forty-five years since the publication of "The Edge of Objectivity," historians of science have established a full-fledged discipline. They have focused increasingly on the social context of science rather than its internal dynamics, and they have frequently viewed science more as a threatening instance of power than as an accumulation of knowledge. Nevertheless, Gillispie's book remains a sophisticated, fast-moving, idiosyncratic account of the development of scientific ideas over four hundred years, by one of the founding intellects in the history of science.
In the mid-1950s, a young professor at Princeton named Charles Gillispie began teaching Humanities 304, one of the first undergraduate courses offered anywhere in the world on the history of science. From start to finish--Galileo to Einstein--Gillispie introduced the students to the key ideas and individuals in science. "The Edge of Objectivity" arose out of this course.
It must have been a lively class. "The Edge of Objectivity" is pointed, opinionated, and selective. Even at six hundred pages, the book is, as the title suggests, an essay. Gillispie is unafraid to rate Mendel higher than Darwin, Maxwell above Faraday. Full of wry turns of phrase, the book effectively captures people and places. And throughout the book, Gillispie pushes an argument. He views science as the progressive development of more objective, detached, mathematical ways of viewing the world, and he orchestrates his characters and ideas around this theme.
In the forty-five years since the publication of "The Edge of Objectivity," historians of science have established a full-fledged discipline. They have focused increasingly on the social context of science rather than its internal dynamics, and they have frequently viewed science more as a threatening instance of power than as an accumulation of knowledge. Nevertheless, Gillispie's book remains a sophisticated, fast-moving, idiosyncratic account of the development of scientific ideas over four hundred years, by one of the founding intellects in the history of science.
562 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1960
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 4, 2018
Subtitled "An Essay in the History of Ideas". Published in 1960 before many of the primary sources became available to general readers by digital scanning. This book is a little long in the tooth by now.
Gillispie is relating the history of the development of physics and cosmology from around 1600 to the current time. Since I have no advanced science or mathematics, I prefer such material written from the philosophical perspective rather than the strictly scientific one. Gillispie's writing is rather dry and tedious and his prose style is not pleasing to read.
Still, there is much of interest here for the general reader.
This will not be a book I keep in my library as I don't foresee consulting it as a reference book.
Gillispie is relating the history of the development of physics and cosmology from around 1600 to the current time. Since I have no advanced science or mathematics, I prefer such material written from the philosophical perspective rather than the strictly scientific one. Gillispie's writing is rather dry and tedious and his prose style is not pleasing to read.
Still, there is much of interest here for the general reader.
This will not be a book I keep in my library as I don't foresee consulting it as a reference book.
March 23, 2019
ما يميز الكتاب عن غيره أنه أكثر شمولًا في الأفكار اللي يتضمنها. يتضمن أفكار من الأحياء والجيولوجيا، ويربطها بالفيزياء.
ما يعيبه هو الإطالة غير المبررة، التبجيل في العلماء، وأسلوبه الروائي.
ما يعيبه هو الإطالة غير المبررة، التبجيل في العلماء، وأسلوبه الروائي.
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May 1, 2009Edge of Objectivity: An Essay in the History of Scientific Ideas by Charles Coulston Gillispie (1960)
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews