The Workshop and the World: What Ten Thinkers Can Teach Us About Science and Authority

Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Science, Other Sciences, History
Cover of the book The Workshop and the World: What Ten Thinkers Can Teach Us About Science and Authority by Robert P. Crease, W. W. Norton & Company
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Robert P. Crease ISBN: 9780393292442
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company Publication: March 26, 2019
Imprint: W. W. Norton & Company Language: English
Author: Robert P. Crease
ISBN: 9780393292442
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Publication: March 26, 2019
Imprint: W. W. Norton & Company
Language: English

A fascinating look at key thinkers throughout history who have shaped public perception of science and the role of authority.

When does a scientific discovery become accepted fact? Why have scientific facts become easy to deny? And what can we do about it? In The Workshop and the World, philosopher and science historian Robert P. Crease answers these questions by describing the origins of our scientific infrastructure—the “workshop”—and the role of ten of the world’s greatest thinkers in shaping it. At a time when the Catholic Church assumed total authority, Francis Bacon, Galileo Galilei, and René Descartes were the first to articulate the worldly authority of science, while writers such as Mary Shelley and Auguste Comte told cautionary tales of divorcing science from the humanities. The provocative leaders and thinkers Kemal Atatürk and Hannah Arendt addressed the relationship between the scientific community and the public in in times of deep distrust.

As today’s politicians and government officials increasingly accuse scientists of dishonesty, conspiracy, and even hoaxes, engaged citizens can’t help but wonder how we got to this level of distrust and how we can emerge from it. This book tells dramatic stories of individuals who confronted fierce opposition—and sometimes risked their lives—in describing the proper authority of science, and it examines how ignorance and misuse of science constitute the preeminent threat to human life and culture. An essential, timely exploration of what it means to practice science for the common good as well as the danger of political action divorced from science, The Workshop and the World helps us understand both the origins of our current moment of great anti-science rhetoric and what we can do to help keep the modern world from falling apart.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

A fascinating look at key thinkers throughout history who have shaped public perception of science and the role of authority.

When does a scientific discovery become accepted fact? Why have scientific facts become easy to deny? And what can we do about it? In The Workshop and the World, philosopher and science historian Robert P. Crease answers these questions by describing the origins of our scientific infrastructure—the “workshop”—and the role of ten of the world’s greatest thinkers in shaping it. At a time when the Catholic Church assumed total authority, Francis Bacon, Galileo Galilei, and René Descartes were the first to articulate the worldly authority of science, while writers such as Mary Shelley and Auguste Comte told cautionary tales of divorcing science from the humanities. The provocative leaders and thinkers Kemal Atatürk and Hannah Arendt addressed the relationship between the scientific community and the public in in times of deep distrust.

As today’s politicians and government officials increasingly accuse scientists of dishonesty, conspiracy, and even hoaxes, engaged citizens can’t help but wonder how we got to this level of distrust and how we can emerge from it. This book tells dramatic stories of individuals who confronted fierce opposition—and sometimes risked their lives—in describing the proper authority of science, and it examines how ignorance and misuse of science constitute the preeminent threat to human life and culture. An essential, timely exploration of what it means to practice science for the common good as well as the danger of political action divorced from science, The Workshop and the World helps us understand both the origins of our current moment of great anti-science rhetoric and what we can do to help keep the modern world from falling apart.

More books from W. W. Norton & Company

Cover of the book A State of Freedom: A Novel by Robert P. Crease
Cover of the book Cowboys Are My Weakness: Stories by Robert P. Crease
Cover of the book The Away Game: The Epic Search for Soccer's Next Superstars by Robert P. Crease
Cover of the book Sylvanus Now: A Novel by Robert P. Crease
Cover of the book Hitler: A Biography by Robert P. Crease
Cover of the book Living Fossil: The Story of the Coelacanth by Robert P. Crease
Cover of the book Rooms Are Never Finished: Poems by Robert P. Crease
Cover of the book The Wolf and the Watchman: A Father, a Son, and the CIA by Robert P. Crease
Cover of the book Filth by Robert P. Crease
Cover of the book The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason by Robert P. Crease
Cover of the book Searing Inspiration: Fast, Adaptable Entrées and Fresh Pan Sauces by Robert P. Crease
Cover of the book American Slavery, American Freedom by Robert P. Crease
Cover of the book Healing Trauma: Attachment, Mind, Body and Brain (Norton Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology) by Robert P. Crease
Cover of the book House Lights: A Novel by Robert P. Crease
Cover of the book An Origin Like Water: Collected Poems 1957­-1987 by Robert P. Crease
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy