Galileo's Finger: The Ten Great Ideas of Science
by Peter Atkins
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Book Summary Information
Author: Peter AtkinsEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2004-09-16
ISBN: 0198609418
Number of pages: 400
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Book Reviews of Galileo's Finger: The Ten Great Ideas of Science
Book Review: Excellent condensation of the great themes of science
Summary: 5 Stars
Prof Atkins is well known for his books in Physical Chemistry. However, like all great thinkers, his interests extend well beyond his chosen field of expertise. Immersed in a culture of knowledge-seeking (he is Professor of Chemistry at Oxford University) has no doubt enabled him to rub shoulders with some of the deepest thinkers of the fields that he covers in this book.
The premise of the book is simple enough - condense the cumulative scientific achievements of humankind into ten broad statements. Each statement serves as the basis of a chapter that goes into some details and meaning behind the statements themselves. Being a popular science book, the depth of coverage in the chapters is relatively superficial. However, the main historical developments and ideas are there. Make no mistake - this is not a book to skim through. You should be prepared to reflect deeply and re-read the book as many times as needed for the ideas to sink in. I would also recommend acquiring (at least some of) the books listed in the "Further Reading" section to delve deeper.
If you want a guided tour of the great ideas of science from a learned teacher and philosopher, then get this book. It will surely leave you with a broader overview of the great scientific principles enunciated to date.
The main ideas are: Evolution, DNA, Energy, Entropy, Atoms, Symmetry, Quanta, Cosmology, Spacetime, and Arithmetic
Summary of Galileo's Finger: The Ten Great Ideas of Science
Why Galileo's finger? Galileo, one of whose fingers is preserved in a vessel displayed in Florence, provided much of the impetus for modern science, pointing the way out of medieval ignorance. In this brilliant account of the central ideas of contemporary science, Peter Atkins celebrates the effectiveness of Galileo's symbolic finger for revealing the nature of our universe, our world, and ourselves.Galileo's Finger takes the reader on an extraordinary journey that embraces the ten central ideas of current science. "By a great idea," writes Peter Atkins, "I mean a simple concept of great reach, an acorn of an idea that ramifies into a great oak tree of application, a spider of an idea that can spin a great web and draw in a feast of explanation and elucidation." With wit, charm, and patience, Atkins leads the reader to an understanding of the essence of the whole of science, from evolution and the emergence of complexity, to entropy, the spring of all change in the universe; from energy, the universalization of accountancy, to symmetry, the quantification of beauty; and from cosmology, the globalization of reality, to spacetime, the arena of all action.
"My intention is for us to travel to the high ridges of science," Atkins tells us. "As the journey progresses and I lead you carefully to the summit of understanding, you will experience the deep joy of illumination that science alone provides."
Galileo's Finger breaks new ground in communicating science to the general reader. Here are the essential ideas of today's science, explained in magical prose.
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