The Day the Universe Changed: How Galileo's Telescope Changed The Truth and Other Events in History That Dramatically Altered Our Understanding of the World (Back Bay Books) [Paperback]

James Burke (Author)

Book Description

Series: Back Bay Books | Publication Date: September 1, 1995

In The Day the Universe Changed, James Burke examines eight periods in history when our view of the world shifted dramatically: in the eleventh century, when extraordinary discoveries were made by Spanish crusaders; in fourteenth-century Florence, where perspective in painting emerged; in the fifteenth century, when the advent of the printing press shook the foundations of an oral society; in the sixteenth century, when gunnery developments triggered the birth of modern science; in the early eighteenth century, when hot English summers brought on the Industrial Revolution; in the battlefield surgery stations of the French revolutionary armies, where people first became statistics; in the nineteenth century, when the discovery of dinosaur fossils led to the theory of evolution; and in the 1820s, when electrical experiments heralded the end of scientific certainty. Based on the popular television documentary series, The Day the Universe Changed is a bestselling history that challenges the reader to decide whether there is absolute knowledge to discover - or whether the universe is "ultimately what we say it is."

Editorial Reviews

Review

RICHARD S. WHEELER is a five-time Spur Award winner from Western Writers of America and is the acclaimed author of such novels as Sierra, The Fields of Eden, The Buffalo Commons, Aftershocks, Masterson, Eclipse, Exile, An Obituary for Major Reno, and the Barnaby Skye series.

--This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

About the Author

James Burke, the BBC's chief reporter on the Apollo missions to the moon, was awarded the Royal Television Society silver medal in 1973 and the gold medal in 1974. The PBS series Connections was over two years in the making, the research and filming taking the author to twenty-three countries. James Burke lives in London.

--This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Back Bay Books; Rei Sub edition (September 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316117048
• ISBN-13: 978-0316117043
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #927,321 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Burke's connectionist thought is uniquely insightful, April 6, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Seattle, Washington USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Day the Universe Changed: How Galileo's Telescope Changed The Truth and Other Events in History That Dramatically Altered Our Understanding of the World (Back Bay Books) (Paperback)

This book describes the evolution of scientific beliefs and ideas, and how they have intertwined throughout history to present day. His refreshing writing style is clever and humorous, displayed in an amazing presentation of the history of paradigm shifts in regard to invention and scientific discovery. He brilliantly ties together various scientific notions and explains them in their historic contexts, and shows the interconnectedness of scientific ideology in a way that is truly stunning to the "acolyte" connectionist thinker.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Of Burke, February 12, 2002

By 

Richard C. Sides (Decatur, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Day the Universe Changed: How Galileo's Telescope Changed The Truth and Other Events in History That Dramatically Altered Our Understanding of the World (Back Bay Books) (Paperback)

Having read Burke's previous efforts, I was prepared to be entertained and amazed at how seemingly unrelated thoughts and developments came together to move history and innovation forward - but this book exceeded my expectations! Another reveiwer commented (accurately) that Burke gives religion a pretty rough time, it must also be said that he gives an incredible perspective on how much impact religious thought impacted people's freedom to think, and how those places tolerant of fresh thinking attracted (and benefitted from) thinking people.

The same is shown to be true of political freedom, economic freedom, and, well, you get the picture...freedoms made great differences.

Burke does a fabulous job of providing meaningful context to innovation and innovators. He also demonstrates that a lot of innovation was not pursued, but rather occurred almost by accident - two things sitting next to each other for the first time, and someone decides to combine them!

If you don't read any of his other books, be sure to read this one! I have only one bit of advice when reading it - pace yourself - it is much too good to rush, so savor it...

30 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Informative, Well-Conceived and Wonderfully Illustrated, June 25, 2001

By 

unraveler "unraveler" (Nevada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Day the Universe Changed: How Galileo's Telescope Changed The Truth and Other Events in History That Dramatically Altered Our Understanding of the World (Back Bay Books) (Paperback)

Psychologists tell us that people often tend to see patterns and connections in situations where none really exist. At first, I had reservations about Burke's book for this very reason. But I found the book informative, intelligent, and a real pleasure to read. The author is very pesuasive in his thesis that unexpected connections and new knowledge really alter the human condition and our understanding of the universe. I learned a lot from this book and would recommend it to anyone who is interested in intellectual history, the history of technology, science, and medicine, or the relationship between political economy and the human condition.

Because the scope of Burke's book is so wide, brevity is a must. For this reason, some important connections had to be stated only in general terms, without deep explanations that may be necessary for a reader who is not already familiar with many major figures and events of the past. But no one should be intimidated. You can still enjoy the book, even if you do not already have the knowledge of technological and scientific history. Another challenge that is posed by the wide scope of this project and the subsequent terseness that it requires, is that 1) some statemets are subject to dispute because of their breif nature and generality; 2) a number of relevant causes and connections remain unexplored. I do not think there is a way around this. For example, Burke unequivocally states that John Locke supported slavery. This is debatable. True, Locke had invested in a slave-trading company, but his political philosophy rejected slavery in principle, allowing it only in the very special circumstance of prisoners of war. (Locke believed, for whatever reason, that prisoners of war could rightly be killed, and therefore if they chose to live, their captor could enslave them.) Also, Burke makes much of Locke's defense of private property, ignoring, as many authors have done before him, the fact that by "property" Locke meant to include all of these: life, liberty, and estate. And by "estate" Locke meant what we mean by private property today. But explanations of this sort, while providing a more balanced picture, would take up too much of the book, whose time span includes millenia of technological history!

I think that a greater challenge is posed by the complex nature of technological progress itself. Burke explores some connections and remains silent about others. This makes the methodology a little weak. For example, he practically argues that the weather was responsible for the industrial revolution, which began in Great Britain in the eighteenth century. I do realize that it is the unexpected and unusual connections that are the focus here. Still, I was left wondering, what about other factors?

I also have a difference of opinion on the philosophy of science. I do not think the universe really changed that much, perhaps not at all, based on the discoveries we as the human race made through the centuries. Only our understanding of the universe has undergone changes. Furthermore, not every understanding is equally valid. Some are much more scientific and accurate than others. The universe did not really change because Galileo discovered the moons of Jupiter and Newton the 'laws' of all mechanical motion. What changed is the level of our scientific sophistication in regards to the question, How does the universe work? Also, I do not think that Burke's optimism about making science a true item of public domain is altogether justified. On the last two pages of the book he seems to suggest that the general public should dictate which direction science shall take, and what in the end counts for science. This is an interesting populist move. But one should not deceive himself. Science is not that democractic. One does not establish validity of scientific theories based on a vote. As to the direction that science will take, well, that is likely to be decided by scientists, corporations, and all those unexpected connections and unintended consequence that are so important in history, as Burke himself demonstrated.

I enjoyed the book a great deal. Everybody should read the chapter on medicine as soon as they get a chance. It makes you feel grateful for what you have in an economically advanced country. Finally, "The American Internet Advantage" owes much to the spirit that is also the spirit of this book--the spirit of exploration, perseverance, and strange connections.

Michael Hart