Understanding the Present

Scientists have never seemed so fallible - or even so dangerous. But today, more than ever before, an understanding of modern science is essential for anyone seeking to define the nature of man and his place in the universe. Since Galileo looked through his telescope in 1609 and set eyes upon the moon, mankind's gaze has been drawn, by science and its disciplines, out beyond our narrow world to the infinite spaces of the cosmos. Bryan Appleyard charts the progression of scientific knowledge, from Copernicus and Descartes to Einstein and Hawking, and its devastating impact on mankind's belief in his dominant role in the universe.

ISBN	1860648916	Pages	304
ISBN13	9781860648915 (What's this?)	Volumes	1
Publisher	I.B.Tauris & Co Ltd	Weight (grammes)	340
Imprint	Tauris Parke Paperbacks	Published in	London
Format	Paperback	Height (mm)	198
Publication date	21 Nov 2003	Width (mm)	129
Library of Congress	Q175 \.A68	Spine width (mm)	25
DEWEY	509	Academic level	Professional / Scholarly
DEWEY edition	DC21

	Preface
	Introduction
1	Science works, but is it the truth?	1
2	The birth of science	17
3	The humbling of man	48
4	Defending the faith	79
5	From scientific horror to the green solution	110
6	A new strange mask for science	138
7	New wonders ... new meanings	168
8	The assault on the self	199
9	The humbling of science	227
	Glossary	251
	Notes	261
	Bibliography	268
	Index	273

"[Bryan Appleyard's] question - has science gone too far - is still relevant, and he's always a provocative read." -New Scientist

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