Science as a Way of Knowing: The Foundations of Modern Biology (Paperback)

~ John A. Moore (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

From the Greeks onward, our written records show that humankind has tried to answer "simple" questions--what is life, how does it reproduce, and why is there such diversity in plants and animals. Moore, professor emeritus of biology at the University of California at Riverside, traces these questions in history (primarily the 19th and 20th centuries) and their partial solution by biology. The result is a lucid, lengthy intellectual history of biology into which is woven information on geology, theology, people, equipment, and lab technique. Moore clearly explains biological terms, and he uses illustrations in the second part to help clarify biological processes. Much of this material appeared previously in eight essays in the American Zoologist. Recommended for all collections. --Michael D. Cramer, Viriginia Polytechnic & State Univ. Libs., Blacksburg
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

This volume is a worthy addition to the literature on the history of biology. It explains the foundations of evolution, genetics, and development and the logic behind scientific enquiry with a clarity that will put most writers of...textbooks to shame. It both demystifies science and exalts it. (Nature )

To pen a single volume embracing the entire history and present compass of ideas about life and its evolution, from the cave art of Lascaux to the molecular genetics of today, is a formidable undertaking. To tell the developing story of biological thought as an illustration of the principles and methods of scientific enquiry in a much broader sense compounds the task. John Moore...has fulfilled these aims amply in a work of enormous scope. He has informed his book with wit, a gentle humanism, and considerable charm. Science as a Way of Knowing may well become a classic. (New Scientist )

Emphasizing not just the steady accumulation of understanding but also the way in which understanding was achieved, Moore traces biology from its beginnings in ancient cultures, especially that of Greece, to its emergence as a modern scientific discipline. In sections covering the changing conception of nature in general, evolution, genetics, and organismal development, Moore's selection of case studies and hypotheses builds into a narrative account of the reason's biologists think as they do. (Science News )

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Product Details

• Paperback: 544 pages
• Publisher: Harvard University Press (September 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0674794826
• ISBN-13: 978-0674794825
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #521,250 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting description of the scientific process, January 11, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Science as a Way of Knowing: The Foundations of Modern Biology (Hardcover)

This is a great book for non-scientists who want to know how the scientific thought process works. Moore takes us through the history of biological thought, from the first cavemen to the geneticists of this century. Non-biologists may get bogged down in the last few technical chapters on genetics and development, but the sections on the history of biology are a great read for anyone.