Discarded Science: Ideas That Seemed Good at the Time...

John Grant's Science

by John Grant

Alchemy, the flat earth theory, lost worlds, and aliens among us: these ideas once seemed plausible—but now we know they’re just plain wrong. Take a fun journey through the history of science as it transforms from a field of wild speculation into a powerful tool of understanding. Explore the world in upheaval as Earth changed from center of the universe to a smallish planet orbiting an average star. Find out about hidden races and unknown creatures (like Yetis); early and bizarre thoughts on evolution; ancient astronauts and UFO crazes; the music of the spheres; the acquisition of virtues through cannibalism, and much more!

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, History, Reference, Popular Science, Humor, Skepticism

320 pages, Hardcover

First published September 28, 2006

About the author

John Grant is author of over eighty books, of which about twenty-five are fiction, including novels like The World, The Hundredfold Problem, The Far-Enough Window and most recently The Dragons of Manhattan and Leaving Fortusa. His “book-length fiction” Dragonhenge, illustrated by Bob Eggleton, was shortlisted for a Hugo Award in 2003; its successor was The Stardragons. His first story collection, Take No Prisoners, appeared in 2004. He is editor of the anthology New Writings in the Fantastic, which was shortlisted for a British Fantasy Award. His novellas The City in These Pages and The Lonely Hunter have appeared from PS Publishing.

His latest fiction book is Tell No Lies , his second story collection; it's published by Alchemy Press. His most recent nonfiction is A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Film Noir . Earlier, he coedited with John Clute The Encyclopedia of Fantasy and wrote in their entirety all three editions of The Encyclopedia of Walt Disney’s Animated Characters; both encyclopedias are standard reference works in their field. Among other recent nonfictions have been Discarded Science, Corrupted Science (a USA Today Book of the Year), Bogus Science and Denying Science.

As John Grant he has to date received two Hugo Awards, the World Fantasy Award, the Locus Award, and a number of other international literary awards. He has written books under other names, even including his real one: as Paul Barnett, he has written a few books (like the space operas Strider’s Galaxy and Strider’s Universe) and for a number of years ran the world-famous fantasy-artbook imprint Paper Tiger, for this work earning a Chesley Award and a nomination for the World Fantasy Award.

Reviews

[C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was going to be one of those toilet books - dip in and dip out, with short articles about each bit of 'discarded science', whatever that meant. I don't read in the toilet. I hate that kind of book.

Instead, it was actually very good! Grant resisted the temptation to only write about the weird, or the amusing; theories that were genuinely scientific, but just happened to be wrong, are included alongside the ones that were totally crackpot, deluded or (in my opinion) downright evil. It reads less as a list of failed scientific theories as a narrative of the development of scientific thought, and as such it is encouraging. The truth will out! It appears, in the naive innocence of my youthful mind, that science tends to progressively evolve towards accuracy, no matter how much ideology/nationalism/religion/arrogance/negligence/sheer, unadulterated stupidity tries to stop it. After I say this I step back and survey the glittering constructs of my idealism, ready at any moment for them to be struck down by the obscure armies of bitter experience.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

In short, this is a nice "bathroom book"; short overviews of various attempts to describe the natural world that have not quite panned out (like spontaneous generation) mixed with the usual psuedo-science (UFOs) and the religious/mythological explanations of the natural/historical world (Creationism/Ancient Astronauts). The book isn't what I would call deep - many of the individual ideas the author examines get a few pages, at most.

But, the writing is crisp, the succinctness works to the authors advantage since it allows him to bring up a lot of ideas, providing the reader with a foundation to start his or her own research from.

[Nadienne Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly entertaining romp through the world of defunct scientific theories, and done in such a way as to not necessarily denigrate those who held those theories.

[Alison C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Discarded Science: Ideas that seemed good at the time..., by John Grant, is a rather odd mishmash of information about the history of science: it includes chapters on theories about the formation of the world and the universe; theories about how human beings developed, were created or evolved; whether alien beings visited or are currently visiting Earth; theories concerning the "hard sciences"; and ideas of human health and medicine. Some of the chapters are straightforward science history, that is, describing theories that were developed historically that later proved to be wrong as human beings learned more about the subject of inquiry. Other chapters, though, are essentially debunking pseudoscience, from Creationism to homeopathy. As a result, the reader is left somewhat confused as to the author's intentions - does he want us to take a serious look at how science and thinking about science evolved over time, or does he just want to entertain us with silly theories that make no sense at all? I enjoyed reading it, but I must say I'm left scratching my head a bit about that question. I should note that the author assumes a certain level of understanding about scientific concepts and about physics in particular, which no doubt limits the audience for this book.

[Richard Willsea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not nearly as much fun as I had hoped, lots of weird 17th century "theories". Not as much "real" science. But I bet "Discarded 1800's myths", would not sell very well. However there are some real Gems in here as far as where did the Atlantis myth come from. What are the various theories of the Nazca lines ect. what are the humors and where did they come from. Its a Great reference work, if your a writer, or roll player. Well written ie easy to read.... Do not let the 2 star fool you. Its is OK, and if this stuff interests you, its a must have.

[Bardi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not a scientist. On the other hand, I tend not to enjoy literature about science that is patronising. John Grant walks a happy middle line that tends to spin from people who so obviously love their subject.

[Alvaro Gonzalez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read other books by John Grant and this is one of his finest.
He discuses scientific ideas from Pythagoras to today, that were generally accepted at the time they were proposed, but that we now today are wrong.
If you are a science geek, this book is for you.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very much a mixed bag. The subject matter is a great idea, but how best to present it? At one level it makes sense to write this a fun read and focus on things which were simply crackpot ideas or which now seem ridiculous to us but which were reasonable things to conclude at the time. Or one can focus seriously on the serious science and track how developments in technology allow for an increase in knowledge and thereby modification of theories. "Discarded Science " tries to take a middle path and it doesn't really work.

There are short sections which outline some wonderfully bizarre ideas or outrageous pronouncements from political or religious leaders, but these are generally presented in a pretty dry way with any humour being restricted to dismissive sarcasm. There are also longer sections on some aspects of science which will completely lose those with a limited scientific background, but which lack the scientific rigour to satisfy those who do.

At times the dismissive tone is rather irritating. I would rather have a proper laugh at the crackpots, whilst having a real respect for those who made sensible conclusions given the limited knowledge available to them. Remember too, that much of the development of scientific thought has been made against the doctrinaire repression of the religious leaders of the time. These scientists of the time were not just good scientists, they were also very brave scientists. In addition, some ideas are dismissed out of hand when in truth, there are facts supported by the discredited idea which the establishment scientific community still fails to have a plausible explanation for. A bit more of an open mind is needed at times.

On balance, I enjoyed the book but felt it was a missed opportunity. The book was an idea that seemed good at the time, but it is one which I fear will be discarded.

[Riley McKenzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book from the start, talking about various beleifs and scientific ideas that we thought were true but werent. As the book dragged on however it felt more of a grouping of incoherent fringe societies and ideas (which dont get me wrong I like listening to) , but I feel as though it missed a big point on the want for humans to understand the things around them and showed that though the ideas might be wrong their observations might be indicative of an understanding. Though this understanding wouldnt be steeped in science or in a practical measurement, it is still interesting that they got close enough to see these effects. It also seems to harp on how Stupid or idiotic old societies seemed and puts us in the present on a pedistal which i think is ironic buut whatever. Still very good.

[spike marlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was quite interesting and explains how people in the past had theories about life, the cosmos, chemistry, aliens, and the human body and other things that have since been disproved by modern science. The author takes aim at some of the quackery that has occurred throughout history including pseudoscience that occurs today. An enjoyable read even if science is not your main interest, but you have some high school science knowledge about astronomy, biology, physics, and chemistry.

[Belle Meade School]

500

[tara bomp · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty interesting book that goes through a lot of unusual ideas at a pretty rapid pace. This doesn't really give any time to go into any detail or appreciate the context - sometimes he talks about what the actual explanation of something is but it's a bit too hurried. He repeats a few things that I recognise as myths but they're not important and hardly anyone bothers to correct. He does seem pretty credulous at times - I don't expect HARDCORE SCEPTICISM at all times but it was weird that he thought the Dogon thing was completely legitimate, for example. He describes a few newer theories that seem unlikely but he presents as if they're likely. It's no big deal really I guess. His introduction is a bit silly though - the whole stuff about the problems of "letting ideology into science"... science isn't excluded from ideology!

Overall it's interesting but maybe could have done with a bit less stuff covered in a bit more detail - it's not spectacular because of the rushing and everything. Good if you're interested in the subject of weird theories but you'll probably be looking for more after you've finished. Some of the ideas mentioned are very charming.

[Ira Therebel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a bit hard to rate. It has a lot of information on the topic of discarded science, but it is really not fun o read because it feels more like encyclopedia than anything. After all the reading I remember basically nothing, except for a few topics that interested me and that I want to look up more on.

So it is an ok book. It serves its purpose of giving you a broad idea and selection of topics you may like, but it is not an enjoyable read in general. Maybe it is also because when it comes to universe and evolution I already knew most of it and was bored. The topics I was especially interested in such as Atlantis, ufology and medical science on the other hand were too brief.

[Kozmo Kliegl]

shows that that people could rely on incorrect info well after the real truth becomes evident as well as some outright quackery preying on ignorance & gullibility.

An example not mentioned is the idea of a Geocentric Universe could hold until centuries after Galeleo found proof otherwise but the Church refuse to lose face (despite that they were using the Heliocentric model in secret)could support the Ptolemaic view and it turned that Aristarchus had the correct idea in the 3rd Century BCE.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one left me a little uneasy. It's easy to look back at some of the wackier ideas that once dominated scientific discourse, but it's alarming to think at how dogmatic scientists have been throughout the ages. It makes you wonder which of today's sacred cows are doomed to fall before an increased understanding of the universe. A little humility is a positive thing, but thanks to John Grant, it's not without some laughter.

[Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fantastic way to explore science: by delving into all the erroneous thinking and garbage that's been tossed off so the truth can emerge. It reads like a more fleshed-out Skeptic's Dictionary. The writer doesn't entirely stay on message though. He spends more time on intentional bunk and charlatans than the title implies. Nevertheless, the book is quite an education.

[Doopa00 · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you think you have had some bad ideas just read over this.

Grant takes a survey of some of the not so clever ideas in various sciences. He likes to poke fun at Nazi Science, and the negative influences of Christianity on scientific thought.

[Nick Kugel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Discarded Science is about scientific theories that were believed at one point. I find this book both funny and interesting. The ludicrous ideas some people came up with make this book pretty good. I can best describe it as the freak show of science.

[Deus Ex 10tklz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun, fascinating, and well written! Our history and current social zeitgeist are rife with discarded and pseudo science, the author did a great job in deciding which subjects to write about and keeping a feeling of continuity and flow throughout the book. I strongly recommend this book!

[Robert Collette · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great read for anyone who wants a history or pseudoscience and general quackery. You won't believe what people used to believe and it makes me wonder what things we believe today that could end up in a future edition of this book...

[Raphael Rosen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was disappointed with this book. The topic is very interesting, but the author's prose was a little too dismissive and juvenile.

[Sam]

Fun/research.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun Science book about some ideas that didn't quite work out.

[Justin Watson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit dry at times, this was definitely a book that I read in very small chunks, thereby taking me about 6 months to read it.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a little disappointed with this book. It was sort of a mismash of stuff. At times extremely interesting, at others pretty boring.

[Torgny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good overview of misguided theories throughout history. The only reason this does not get 5-stars is that it lacks references. But a really good book otherwise.

[Craig Perl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too dry for leisure reading.

[Anatoly Maslennikov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Хороший дайджест отвергнутых и просто бредовых (псевдо)научных идей.