A tour through the history of human curiosity, from its original condemnation as sin, blossoming through the lives of Galileo and Newton, to its current role central to modern society.
Philip Ball writes regularly in the scientific and popular media and worked for many years as an editor for physical sciences at Nature. His books cover a wide range of scientific and cultural phenomena, and include Critical Mass- How One Thing Leads To Another (winner of the 2005 Aventis Prize for Science Books), The Music Instinct, Curiosity- How Science Became Interested in Everything, Serving The Reich- The Struggle for the Soul of Science Under Hitler and Invisible- The history of the Unseen from Plato to Particle Physics.
Philip Ball, like Levi, displays a polymath’s enthusiasm for
knowledge of all kinds, and writes of science with humility and
intelligent generosity.
*Telegraph*
Ball's fascinating book revels not just in the experiments of these
early scientists, but also in their humanity, foibles and
passions
*Sunday Times*
A wonderfully nuanced and wise study of the scientific
revolution
*Guardian*
Fascinating
*Daily Telegraph*
Philip Ball’s scintillating history of curiosity brims with
treats
*Nature Magazine*
Freelance writer Ball (Critical Mass) worked for 20 years as an editor at Nature, a magazine essentially dedicated to fostering and satisfying the curiosity of everyone from would-be E.O. Wilsons to, well, E.O. Wilson. But according to Ball, the curious haven't always been held in high esteem-in the classical world, the curious person was regarded as "a meddler and a nuisance or hazard to society." That may sometimes be the case-the image of a cheap chemistry set blowing up in an inquisitive kid's face is a familiar one-but the world has benefited enormously from those who shirked the status quo, risked religious condemnation, and pursued wild ideas til they became accepted knowledge. Focusing on the 16th and 18th centuries, Ball looks at the transformation of curiosity from stigma to scientific stimulus through a survey of important figures like Francis Bacon, Galileo, and Descartes, as well as critical inventions and discoveries, including the telescope and supernovae. Ball also traces the evolution of the scientific method, and shows how even respected thinkers like philosopher Thomas Hobbes refused to believe that experimentation could uncover truth. This history of wonder is at times too dense for even dedicated meddlers, but those willing to stay the course will find their curiosity alternately sated and piqued. 38 halftones, 5 line drawings. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Well into the 16th century, curiosity was frowned upon. Ball (former editor, Nature; Why Society Is a Complex Matter: Meeting Twenty-first Century Challenges with a New Kind of Science) argues that an evolving attitude toward inquiry played almost as important a role in shaping the 17th-century scientific revolution as did the actual discoveries made, theories proposed, or methodological changes wrought in the way science was conducted. He shows that the path to modern science was neither simple nor linear. For example, the distinctions between science and pseudoscience (both of which encouraged curiosity) were not clear from the start. "Experiments" weren't conducted as rigorously as today, and it was often unclear what deserved attention out of the profusion (and confusion) of phenomena that nature offered. Even such giants as Galileo, Robert Boyle, and Newton were neither one kind of practitioner nor the other. Galileo probably fudged the results of some of his experiments, Boyle was fascinated by alchemy, and Newton's preoccupation with biblical chronology is well documented. VERDICT Although Ball doesn't shed new light on the subject, he possesses the gift of making complicated topics compelling and understandable. A substantial work in the history of science, this engaging title should appeal to serious readers, both academic and armchair.-David Keymer, Modesto, CA (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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