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How Things Are: A Science Tool-Kit for the Mind
Essays discuss science, the origin of the universe, evolution, the mind, communication, symmetry, and the future of the human species
303 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
10 people are currently reading
259 people want to read
About the author
John Brockman
66 books614 followersJohn Brockman is an American literary agent and author specializing in scientific literature. He established the Edge Foundation, an organization that brings together leading edge thinkers across a broad range of scientific and technical fields.
He is author and editor of several books, including: The Third Culture (1995); The Greatest Inventions of the Past 2000 Years (2000); The Next Fifty Years (2002) and The New Humanists (2003).
He has the distinction of being the only person to have been profiled on Page One of the "Science Times" (1997) and the "Arts & Leisure" (1966), both supplements of The New York Times.
He is author and editor of several books, including: The Third Culture (1995); The Greatest Inventions of the Past 2000 Years (2000); The Next Fifty Years (2002) and The New Humanists (2003).
He has the distinction of being the only person to have been profiled on Page One of the "Science Times" (1997) and the "Arts & Leisure" (1966), both supplements of The New York Times.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 20, 2016
I've read this numerous times in the past, revisiting some chapters numerous times. Various authors take on various big themes such as "What is Time" to "What Happened Before the Big Bang"? I recently read "Germs, Guns, and Steel", which (shockingly to me) won a Pulitzer and I realize how much better "How Things Are" is in comparison. At half the length and with good humor, pick "Things" not "Germs."
January 23, 2015
Wow! Pretty much a tour-de-force of the intellectual pillars of modern science. Every major branch is included in these essays; there are even a few on Computer Science - a truly rare phenomenon! Even Computer Science books hardly mention Computer Science.
Each essay is deeply thought-provoking, and extremely well written -- I was honestly surprised that the authors were able to wrap up complex ideas in such a clear and straightforward way. There is also a huge amount of re-readability to be found here, and I've found that a second or third reading of a few pieces has unearthed new, subtle connections. Just fantastic, this is the kind of book worth keeping on yourself to read over and over again.
Each essay is deeply thought-provoking, and extremely well written -- I was honestly surprised that the authors were able to wrap up complex ideas in such a clear and straightforward way. There is also a huge amount of re-readability to be found here, and I've found that a second or third reading of a few pieces has unearthed new, subtle connections. Just fantastic, this is the kind of book worth keeping on yourself to read over and over again.
July 11, 2020
This is a collection of scientific essays that try to explain a little bit about the world and it's what I wish I would have read when I was young because I'm sure it would have gotten me more interested in participating in class. The problem with how I was taught was that it was a bunch of facts without the practical applications or the history that made them. Separating the sciences also seemed wrong when I see so much of them converge together with philosophy, logic, ethics... The renaissance brought the sciences back and then divided them for a more profound understanding, but they were always meant to work together.
The book is also great because you have many examples of thinking and writing, as well as background information and a short list of works from the authors, giving you a fuller more complex choice of material to further your reading.
The book is also great because you have many examples of thinking and writing, as well as background information and a short list of works from the authors, giving you a fuller more complex choice of material to further your reading.
April 3, 2017
Po obsahové stránce to byla hodně dobrá knížka, po formální naprosto tragická. Absence korektury mi chvílemi dost vypalovala oko, jinak by měla víc hvězdiček... škoda.
August 24, 2017
"As coisa são assim" um livro um pouco datado, foi lançado em 1995 e boa parte da ciência avançou consideravelmente de lá pra cá, o que deixa o livro um pouco mas de qualquer forma a parte final dele é interessante, com artigos escritos por Ian Stwart (matemático) e Alan Guth (físico) sobre a natureza do tempo e relatividade.
February 28, 2021
Recopilación de ensayos de grandísimas figuras (Paul Davies, Alan Guth, que propuso la hipótesis del universo inflacionario en Cosmología, Richard Dawkins, Steven Jay Gould...). Habla sobre mil temas distintos, desde el inicio del Universo al incesto, y al ser ensayos selectos todos están bien, aunque unos me gustaron mucho más que otros. Una buena ración de culturilla, muy entretenido.
June 9, 2019
Really great collection of scientific essays-- understandable for pretty much anyone.
July 16, 2008
Science's best fence-sitters present.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews