Understanding Science: An Introduction to Concepts and Issues [Hardcover]

Arthur N. Strahler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1992 | ISBN-10: 0879757248 | ISBN-13: 978-0879757243 | Edition: First

Humanity reaps the many advantages of science while bemoaning the frequent misapplications and abuses of modern technology. Yet, far too many of us admit to possessing little, if any, real knowledge of what scientists actually do, why they do it, or whether they should be otherwise occupied in more productive pursuits. Non-scientists need to appreciate the nature, purpose, and goals of science. Conversely, the narrow focus of many science enthusiasts fails to recognise that science cannot help but interact with sources of knowledge beyond its realm, placing scientific endeavours within a swirling caldron of competing knowledge claims. In "Understanding Science", noted author and researcher Arthur N Strahler, whose career in science spans more than half a century, fills this double void by offering insights into both the philosophy and the sociology of science.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Strahler ( Science and Earth History ) here admirably meets his goal of making the philosophy of science accessible to general readers. With a full appreciation for the limits of science, he is as willing to draw the epistomological line at 20th-century scientism as he is to create a friendly border with mysticism. He admits to his discussion such pseudosciences as parapsychology and creationism (although placing them under house arrest) to show how truly scientific thinking is easily debased. Although not offered as a textbook, this is a formal epistomology laced with precis of other works in the sociology of science. In the six chapters of the first section, "Science--Once over Lightly," Strahler demonstrates how science interacts with religion, philosophy and logic and with its own history. While this organizational approach is less successful in the second section, "Science and Other Knowledge Fields," this volume merits a high place on the popular science reading list.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 409 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books; First edition (August 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879757248
• ISBN-13: 978-0879757243
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,504,697 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A clear yet detailed overview of what science does and is., August 14, 1997

By 

[e-mail] (Henderson NV) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Understanding Science: An Introduction to Concepts and Issues (Hardcover)

Everyone knows how deeply science has effected our lives, yet few have any idea how science works.

For anyone who is curious about how science works, this is a must-read. Far from being a child's primer yet crystal-clear in defining the complex issues involved in scientific inquiry, this book has much to offer both layman and scientist alike. Strahler is fearless yet rigorous in his treatment of the methods & consequences of science, and he devotes equal time to exploring the weaknesses inherent in the scientific method (i.e., what it cannot do), as well as to the consequences of scientific ignorance. It is Strahler's passion for the truth that keeps this potentially-dry subject from going stale, and it's a passion that's infectious. The chapters on the supernatural, religion, creationism, and the impact of science on ethics are among the most lucid I have ever read. This is a book to set alongside the best of Carl Sagan, and, I daresay, is better.