The Discovery of Time [Paperback]

Stephen Toulmin (Author), June Goodfield (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0226808424 | ISBN-13: 978-0226808420 | Publication Date: May 15, 1982

"A discussion of the historical development of our ideas of time as they relate to nature, human nature and society. . . . The excellence of The Discovery of Time is unquestionable."—Martin Lebowitz, The Kenyon Review

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Taking the history of science full circle to look at how scientists developed their ideas about history, The Discovery of Time is a delightful and thought-provoking companion to The Architecture of Matter and The Fabric of the Heavens. Authors Stephen Toulmin and June Goodfield explore the evolution of our thinking about the past clearly and plainly, showing the interplay and conflict between natural philosophy and religious dogma that continue in classrooms today. Beginning their story in prehistoric traditions of oral history, which functioned to preserve cultural and spiritual truths, they examine the ancients' relationship with their own past as it related to their explanations for the way things had come to be. The Greeks began incorporating what we would recognize as historical elements into their contemporary writings, blending the legends of the past with their philosophical thinking. The exquisitely demonstrated expansion and contraction of the perceived past, from the infamous calculation of the date of the biblical Creation to modern ideas about the Big Bang, shake the modern reader's certainty a little--essential for any new understanding. The drama of Kant, Vico, Darwin, Lyell, and other thinkers competing for the world's attention to create the greatest change in the history of history late in the 19th century is compelling reading and closes the book on a tentative note. Toulmin and Goodfield tame a complex, important subject in The Discovery of Time, and our comprehension of past and present is richer for it. --Rob Lightner

Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: University Of Chicago Press (May 15, 1982)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0226808424
• ISBN-13: 978-0226808420
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #531,759 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Splendid book, October 3, 2011

By 

T. Reid (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Discovery of Time (Paperback)

This is a splendid and stimulating book of intellectual history. Do not be put off by its awkward title. The book describes the historical relationship between scientific discovery and knowledge, on one hand, and philosophic thought, starting with Socrates and Aristotle, on the other hand. The book relates the gradual realization (which is the "discovery" in the book's title) through scientific advances in a variety of fields that the natural world's origins are ancient, and have a far longer developmental history (which is the "time" in the title) than had been imagined. It describes how these advances have impacted philosophic, theological, and historical thought, which had until surprisingly recently generally accepted the belief that the world was a few thousand years old.
The authors discuss philosophical thinking (e.g., Descartes or Kant) on the origins of the natural world as that thinking evolved, as well as the discoveries and thinking of various scientists (e.g., Linnaeus or Darwin) during comparable periods. Pertinent writings of contemporaneous thinkers (e.g., Francis Bacon or Alexander Pope) are used to illustrate the broader intellectual impacts of philosophical and scientific trends as they evolved.
The book is clearly written and organized, and while it was published in 1965, that does not in the slightest diminish its relevance or value.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everyone should read this, February 11, 2011

By 

One Happy Retiree - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Discovery of Time (Paperback)

Surely one of the most thoughtful books this retired geologist has read in over 70 years of living. An intellectual feast, yet written for everyone's understanding. Among my top 10 recommended books for all.