Great Feuds in Science: Ten of the Liveliest Disputes Ever (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Entering Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome is like walking into the Grand Canyon..." (more)
Key Phrases: Margaret Mead, Royal Society, Catholic Church (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"The facts, even the theories, are history. It is the process that is the living science; that's what makes the activity exciting to those who practice it," science writer Hal Hellman observes. "Often, however, the process of scientific discovery is charged with emotion.... Holders of an earlier idea may not give it up gladly." Hellman describes some of the most emotional, dramatic, and personal debates in scientific history. He rounds up the usual suspects--Galileo versus the pope, Newton versus Leibniz, Cope versus Marsh, evolution versus Creation--but also includes less well known, but no less interesting, conflicts: Wallis versus Hobbes on squaring the circle, Voltaire versus Needham on embryos. And he boldly includes two conflicts in which (some) of the combatants are still alive: Don Johanson versus the Leakeys on human origins and Derek Freeman versus the ghost of Margaret Mead on Samoa. Never a dull moment. --Mary Ellen Curtin --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

Ranging from Galileo vs. Pope Urban VIII to Derek Freeman vs. Margaret Mead, this compilation of great scientific feuds covers an interesting variety of personalities as well as subject matter. Proceeding in chronological order, chapter by chapter, science writer Hellman aims to show the human side of scientists, including all their petty frailties. Some of the feuds were more constructive than others; some seemed to center on personality clashes; collectively, they demonstrate that over the centuries science has shown little ability to acknowledge changing interpretations or newly calculated data without falling into conflict. Hellman certainly raises some questions on style in science, but it would have been even more worthwhile if he had tried to derive some theme from these confrontations instead of simply demonstrating that scientists can be just as human as the rest of us. For larger popular science collections.?Hilary Burton, Lawrence Livermore National Lab., Livermore, CA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (August 20, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471350664
• ISBN-13: 978-0471350668
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #569,407 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For the most part entertaining and informative, April 4, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Great Feuds in Science: Ten of the Liveliest Disputes Ever (Wiley Popular Science) (Hardcover)

This book makes science interesting. The science we so often learn in school makes it seem as though science always proceeds in a straight-forward manner. This book explodes that stereotype. I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of Kelvin and his estimate of the age of the earth, and, of course, the famous one between Galileo and the Church.

The most recent one is between Derek Freeman and the late Margaret Mead. After I first read about it I felt that people were being pretty hard on Mead, but since then I've changed my mind. People claiming to do scientific research are held to high standards. If they are found to be not completely honest, even once, their reputation is ruined. That is a high standard, but a fair one.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hellman's "Great Feuds ..." is great reading!, August 2, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Great Feuds in Science: Ten of the Liveliest Disputes Ever (Wiley Popular Science) (Hardcover)

I have to disagree strongly with one of the customer reviews of Hal Hellman's "Great Feuds in Science." "Iceage" complains that "... the book dissapoints (sic)... mainly because of its lack of first person perspeective. I was looking for more feeling, more virulent attacking by two historical giants ..." Apparently the reviewer was expecting people like Newton and Leibniz or Thomas Hobbes and John Wallis to stand head to head yelling four-letter words at each other. We should be fair: these feuds are scientific battles, not barroom brawls. As for his complaint that he "was hoping for more of a graphic and detailed picture of the opposition ..." I found Hellman's examples apt and intriguing. One example: John Wallis, mathematician and clergyman, writes to a colleague about Hobbes: "... nor should we be deterred ... by his arrogance which we know will vomit poisonous filth against us." In Chapter 10, Hellman r! elates that Derek Freeman, Australian anthropologist, wrote of that American icon, Maargaret Mead, that many of her assertions about Samoa, made decades earlier, are " ... fundamentally in error and some are preposterously false." Also, "There isn't another example of such wholesale self-deception in the history of the behavioral sciences." These aren't four-letter words, but they are explosive. Hellman has given us that good feel for who these people were and what they meant to society at the time. This book could bring science to life for the young and those of us who are more experienced. Iceage missed the boat but your readers should jump on board.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great zeitgeist, thin science, August 1, 2000

By A Customer

Hellman has an excellent ability to describe the personalities, the scenes, the zeitgeist, but unfortunately he is not too good in science. He never really gets into the heart of the matter, he never discusses any details, he usually relies on second hand sources, he leaves the story in the air just when starts to get exciting. If you know history of science, this book does not contain anything new or startling. But it is fun reading for the uninitiated.