世界科学技术通史

by James E. McClellan, Harold Dorn, 詹姆斯·E. 麦克莱伦第三

本书是当代职业科学史家为非专业的读者和大学生们编写的一本世界科学技术通史读物，旨在提供一幅“全景图”，以满足那些受过良好教育的人士的需要。

通过考察从文明之初到21世纪早期科学与技术之间的关系，本书阐明：科学和技术的关系是一个历史过程，而非总是一成不变地结合在一起的。作者循着科学和技术的沿革，从史前期直到当前，查找出说明两者有时结合、有时分离的那些史实，检讨了那种技术即应用科学的流行观点。而且证明：事实上，在19世纪以前的大多数历史条件下，科学和技术一直是在彼此要么部分分离要么完全分离的状况下向前发展的，而且在智识上和社会学上都是如此。技术作为“应用科学”出现是相对晚近的事情，是随着工业界和政府开始资助那些能够直接转化为新技术或改良技术的科学研究才出现的。

本书的一大特色是：摒弃了“欧洲中心论”的编史学观点，以全球视角详述了两个伟大的科学传统：自古以来各个社会都在资助的有用科学传统，以及起源于古希腊的对自然本身进行无功利探求的传统。麦克莱伦和多恩还考察了植根于中国、印度和中南美洲，以及古典时代晚期和中世纪时期一系列近东帝国的科学传统。通过这种比较视野，两位作者阐释了西方世界、17世纪科学革命、工业革命，以及现代科学技术联姻的兴起。作者在描绘当今世界科学技术发展的同时，也尖锐地质疑了当今工业文明的可持续性。

第三版《世界科学技术通史》提供了一个扩展的“开篇语”，并大大拓展了其对工业文明，以及基于现代电网的技术超级系统的论述；互联网和社交媒体受到了更多的关注；一些事实和数据作了更新。本书还列出了一个全面的“进一步的读物”，包括主要的出版文献，以及为学生和非专业读者提供的经过审查的网站和互联网资源列表。

本书获得2000年度美国世界史协会图书奖，除中文版外，还被译为德文、土耳其文、韩文出版。

Genres: History, Science, Technology, History Of Science, Nonfiction, World History, Textbooks

640 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Cat · Rating 3 out of 5]

The main thesis of this book is to show how technology and science developed largely independently of each other throughout almost all of history. Science and Technology in World Literally is quite literally an undergraduate course book. In view of the complexity of the subject matter, I found this to be a boon rather then hindrance. The authors do an amazing job summarizing complex material.

SciTechinWorHis (my abbreviation for the lengthy title) begins with a survey of the "pristine" civiliastions of earth: the middle east, india, china, south america, central america.. and... uh that's it. These are alll the original civilisations who started raising crops. The authors point out at that all of these civilisations were empires that built large hydraulic projects to help raise more food. Most of them also built large monuments (the pyramids in egypt). In these "prisitine" civilisations, the central government used "scientists" for calendar purposes. "Technology" was made these civilisation's possible in the first place- farming improvements and the maniuplation of water to supply large urban populations. In these pristine civilisations science was sponosored by the emperor to achieve practical ends. Technology enabled these civilisations in the first place. And so, technology precedes science. Indeed, technology is one of the things that makes us "human" whereas "science" only comes into play AFTER civilisation and "history" begin.

In that way, the authors make the point- right at the beginning- that technology is quite central to being human, whereas science requires some form of organization.

After running through Egypt, Mesopatamia, India, China, The Aztecs and the Inca, he moves into the "greek miracle" and we are off to the races. After the multi cultural preamble, the book gets locked on europe and chapter by chapter we move through greece, to rome, to the middle ages, to the scientific revolution. Two hundred pages and nine chapters in, this book settles into chapters consisting of mini bios: Copernicus, Galileo, Newton. Then with the advent of the industrial revolution, they march through the "modern" period. Throughout the writing is crisp, and as a non-science type, I found this book quite useful as a survey and introduction to the subject.

[Joel Marji · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting topic

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Science in technology a world History by James McClellan provides a summary overview of how science has evolved from the time of spoken language, fire, stone and bronze to astronomy, Aristotle, Newtonian physics and eventually the nuclear age. In addition o a discourse in scientific theory and accumulation of knowledge this book also at a high tracks technological improvements from the printing press, to the phonogram, moving pictures, and eventually the computer age. His writing style is crisp and he keeps the topic moving sometimes leaving you wishing for a deeper dive but there is a great reference section a the end for further review of topics. It may be that I have read so many other books on the history of technology and less on history of science that I really enjoyed the discourse on science in this book. The accumulation of human knowledge and the sudden emergence across the globe in Maya, Inca, China, Europe and the middle east in canal building with no contact with one another is very fascinating. Overall this book is exactly what it says it is and if you are interested int hat survey of scientific knowledge and technology you will not be disappointed.

[Wisdom muro shoo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Technology

[Kemonjie2gmail.com · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting

[Gizemdak]

ı read it please

[Nish · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good survey managing to compress science and technology from ape to Manhattan project in around 450 pages. Obviously precision suffers given the vastness of the subject but the book's innovative approach lies in explaining non-Western traditions contributions to the scientific enterprise; I especially liked the Muslim and Chinese technologies sections. The ending is scant though historically (uniformly distributed in time) the distribution of technology is reverse-Pareto (we are living in the explosion though only around 40 pages of the book are devoted to "modern technology").

[John Devlin · Rating 2 out of 5]

A lavish book that explores the burgeoning scientific thought in Europe and elsewhere.

[Emre Karadeniz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the few books which have a great influence over me.

[Lette Hass · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un libro obligatorio y atrayente!!!
Recomendación especial, capítulo 13: "God said, Let Newton be!"