Pavlov's Dogs and Schrï¿1/2dinger's Cat: Scenes from the living laboratory (Popular Science) [Paperback]

Rom Harrï¿1/2 (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 5, 2010 | ISBN-10: 019923857X | ISBN-13: 978-0199238576 | Edition: 1

From the sheep, dog, and cockerel that were sent aloft in Montgolfier's balloon to test the air over Paris, to the famous clone Dolly the Sheep and the Darwinian finches of the Galapagos, Pavlov's Dogs and Schr�dinger's Cat offers a fascinating and enlightening look at the use of plants and animals--including humans--in scientific experiments. Rom Harr� here provides a fresh and fascinating perspective on research, setting aside moral reflection to simply examine the history of how and why living creatures have been used for the purposes of discovery. Ranging over five centuries, the book uncovers many extraordinary stories, including tales of the people involved, to many curious incidents and episodes, and the occasional scientific fraud. From Gregor Mendel's use of pea plants to explore heredity, to Barry Marshall's use of himself as the experimental animal in his helicobacter experiments (he survived) and even the use of an imaginary cat in Schr�dinger's famous thought experiment, the reader discovers here a perspective on scientific work he or she has never encountered before--the concept of the "living laboratory."

Editorial Reviews

Review

Review from previous edition: "Original and thoughtful study." --PD Smith, The Guardian 08.03.09

About the Author

Rom Harr� is Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at Linacre College, Oxford, and Adjunct Professor of Philosophy at Georgetown University, Washington, DC.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; 1 edition (April 5, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 019923857X
• ISBN-13: 978-0199238576
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,801,463 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book for science elective courses, March 3, 2010

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Alydar "alydar" (New York) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Pavlov's Dogs and Schrï¿1/2dinger's Cat: Scenes from the living laboratory (Hardcover)

This book is great for a AP Bio or Psychology elective course for juniors and seniors in high school. I use it in my zoology course. You can pick and choose chapters and the students will definitely give you feedback. I found it like the classic book, " Microbe Hunters" but this time animal experimentors and their work. Sure to start discussions on ethics and how much we owe to our underlings, the animal kingdom. To me, they will never be underlings but living and breathing organisms like us who share our planet and who have taught us much about them and ourselves. The only shortcoming of the text (reason for only 4 stars ) is that more photographs could have been used ( especially of the scientists ) and some background on the scientist ( birth, country, death etc. ) to start each chapter would have helped. I am planning a book called "Through Their Eyes" which will include all zoologists and their work and which will also take us out of the laboratory setting into the field. Aristotle to Conrad Lorenz to Dr. Jane Goodall. It will bring this volume full circle. "Underlings", ha, how about equals?