Science and the Modern World (Paperback)

by Alfred North Whitehead (Author) "The progress of civilisation is not wholly a uniform drift towards better things..." (more)
Key Phrases: simple eternal objects, vibratory locomotion, other eternal objects, Middle Ages, Francis Bacon, Prime Mover (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Alfred North Whitehead's SCIENCE AND THE MODERN WORLD, originally published in 1925, redefines the concept of modern science. Presaging by more than half a century most of today's cutting-edge thought on the cultural ramifications of science and technology, Whitehead demands that readers understand and celebrate the contemporary, historical, and cultural context of scientific discovery. Taking readers through the history of modern science, Whitehead shows how cultural history has affected science over the ages in relation to such major intellectual themes as romanticism, relativity, quantum theory, religion, and movements for social progress.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Free Press; 1st Paperback Edition edition (April 11, 1970)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684836394
• ISBN-13: 978-0684836393
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #429,328 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 75 years down the road...., February 19, 2001

By	E. M. Dale (USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Naturally, a book written in the midst (or even aftermath) of the relativity revolution is going to be both insightful and limited. Whitehead's book is, in this regard, a child of its age. Yet this is not the entire story, since Whitehead possessed the gift of being able to contextualize his own thought and thus leave it open-ended.

The technical aspects of the book are, of course, sparse on facts. There is evidence that Whitehead (who, in 1925, had been at Harvard for only a year and was now engaged full-time with philosophy, less so with the mathematics of his earlier career) was aware of the sweeping changes in the world brought on by the quantum physics. He was certainly aware of its potential. Niels Bohr said that anyone who is not shocked by quantum theory has not understood it; on this definition, Whitehead did indeed understand it, because the new physics never ceased to amaze him. He grew up, after all, and was edicated as a mathematician, in a very Newtonian world. But it is important to situate the book: the theories that shape what we today know as quantum mechanics were still being debated and worked out in the 20s. Most of the most stiking information has been theorized since that time, certainly long after Whitehead's death. Two examples are Bell's work on separated systems (60s) and Wheeler's discussion of a self-observing universe (1979!).

Whitehead's book is most useful as a book on the philosophy of science, as well as a succinct and accurate appraisal of science in the modern world (modern meaning 17th-19th centuries, historically speaking). He takes a very "post" modern view of the extent of science, writing in chapter one, "if science is not to degenerate into a medly of ad hoc hypotheses, it must become philosophical and must enter upon a thorough criticism of its own foundations." At the same time one can imagine his glee over such recent developments as chaos theory. Whitehead would disagree with Einstein, and side with Bohr: God does indeed play dice.

If you take your science as religion, i.e. the scientific method is still your Nicene creed, you will dislike this book, and most of the recent work on the philosophy of science. However, if you are interested in a hermeneutical perspective on science's recent past, and are willing to see science as as much a faith committment as any other world view (a la Kuhn, for example), you will benfit greatly from this book. If you take Rouse's (1987, 1996) and van Huyssteen's (1998, 1999) position that even so-called "hard" science is thoroughly corrigible and foundationalist, you will enjoy this book. Whitehead's ideas are opposed to scientific materialism from the get-go, and he is absolutely against dogmatism on the part of science or philosophy. To this extent, 75 years down the road this is still a great book, worth the price of the volume simply for the essays "Origins of Modern Science," "Science and Philosophy," and "Religion and Science" alone.

27 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dense and sometimes difficult, but fascinating, August 15, 2002

By	Stefan Jones (Suburbs of Portland, OR) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In short: A serious and thoughtful book about the meaning and impact of science. This is not light, popular science reading. (If you're looking for that, I highly recommend the works of folks like Freeman Dyson or Stephen Jay Gould.)

_Science and the Modern World_ has some stunning, timeless insights, and many things I'm fond of quoting. Here's a favorite, from the last chapter:

"Modern science has imposed upon humanity the necessity for wandering. Its progressive thought and its progressive
technology make the transition through time, from generation to generation, a true migration into uncharted seas of adventure.
The very benefit of wandering is that it is dangerous and needs skill to avert evils. We must expect, therefore, that the future
will disclose dangers."

(Here it comes:)

"It is the business of the future to be dangerous; and it is among the merits of science that it equips the future for its duties."

(*P*O*W*!*)

"The prosperous middle classes, who ruled the nineteenth century, placed an excessive value upon the placidity of existence. They refused to face the necessities for social reform imposed by the new industrial system, and they are now refusing to face the necessities for intellectual reform imposed by the new knowledge."

(Same as it ever was!)

"The middle class pessimism over the future of the world comes from a confusion between civilization and security. In the immediate future there will be less security than in the immediate past, less stability. It must be admitted that there is a degree of instability which is inconsistent with civilization. But, on the whole, the great ages have been unstable ages."

Whew.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A remarkable and balanced view of science and philosophy, March 8, 1999

By A Customer

To see a reissue of one of Whitehead's classic books is very pleasing and timely. There have been very few people with his depth of understanding of science and technology. The historical and philosophical analyses of this book, written many decades ago, are still fresh and very important.