Book Description
A timely and accessible synthesis of the strengths, weaknesses and reality of science through the eyes of a practicing scientist.
Author : James C. Zimring
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 407 pages
File Size : 24,99 MB
Release : 2019-07-18
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 1108476856
A timely and accessible synthesis of the strengths, weaknesses and reality of science through the eyes of a practicing scientist.
Author : Isabelle Stengers
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
Page : 220 pages
File Size : 11,57 MB
Release : 2018-01-16
Category : Science
ISBN : 1509521844
Like fast food, fast science is quickly prepared, not particularly good, and it clogs up the system. Efforts to tackle our most pressing issues have been stymied by conflict within the scientific community and mixed messages symptomatic of a rushed approach. What is more, scientific research is being shaped by the bubbles and crashes associated with economic speculation and the market. A focus on conformism, competitiveness, opportunism and flexibility has made it extremely difficult to present cases of failure to the public, for fear that it will lose confidence in science altogether. In this bold new book, distinguished philosopher Isabelle Stengers shows that research is deeply intertwined with broader social interests, which means that science cannot race ahead in isolation but must learn instead to slow down. Stengers offers a path to an alternative science, arguing that researchers should stop seeing themselves as the 'thinking, rational brain of humanity' and refuse to allow their expertise to be used to shut down the concerns of the public, or to spread the belief that scientific progress is inevitable and will resolve all of society's problems. Rather, science must engage openly and honestly with an intelligent public and be clear about the kind of knowledge it is capable of producing. This timely and accessible book will be of great interest to students, scholars and policymakers in a wide range of fields, as well anyone concerned with the role of science and its future.
Author : DK
Publisher : Penguin
Page : 735 pages
File Size : 29,26 MB
Release : 2015-02-02
Category : Science
ISBN : 1465439277
Now in Paperback! Take science to a whole new level. Created in partnership with Prentice Hall, the Big Idea Science Book is a comprehensive guide to key topics in science falling into four major strands (Living Things, Earth Science, Chemistry, and Physics), with a unique difference — a website component with 200 specially created digital assets that provide the opportunity for hands-on, interactive learning.
Author : Rebecca Kai Dotlich
Publisher : Macmillan
Page : 22 pages
File Size : 16,85 MB
Release : 2006-08-08
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN : 0805073949
Introduces young children to the ever-changing world of science and about curiosity, asking questions, and exploring possible answers.
Author : Susan V. Bosak
Publisher :
Page : pages
File Size : 12,76 MB
Release : 1992-09
Category :
ISBN : 9780613856973
Author : Gregory N. Derry
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 324 pages
File Size : 44,56 MB
Release : 2002-03-04
Category : Science
ISBN : 1400823110
How does a scientist go about solving problems? How do scientific discoveries happen? Why are cold fusion and parapsychology different from mainstream science? What is a scientific worldview? In this lively and wide-ranging book, Gregory Derry talks about these and other questions as he introduces the reader to the process of scientific thinking. From the discovery of X rays and semiconductors to the argument for continental drift to the invention of the smallpox vaccine, scientific work has proceeded through honest observation, critical reasoning, and sometimes just plain luck. Derry starts out with historical examples, leading readers through the events, experiments, blind alleys, and thoughts of scientists in the midst of discovery and invention. Readers at all levels will come away with an enriched appreciation of how science operates and how it connects with our daily lives. An especially valuable feature of this book is the actual demonstration of scientific reasoning. Derry shows how scientists use a small number of powerful yet simple methods--symmetry, scaling, linearity, and feedback, for example--to construct realistic models that describe a number of diverse real-life problems, such as drug uptake in the body, the inner workings of atoms, and the laws of heredity. Science involves a particular way of thinking about the world, and Derry shows the reader that a scientific viewpoint can benefit most personal philosophies and fields of study. With an eye to both the power and limits of science, he explores the relationships between science and topics such as religion, ethics, and philosophy. By tackling the subject of science from all angles, including the nuts and bolts of the trade as well as its place in the overall scheme of life, the book provides a perfect place to start thinking like a scientist.
Author : Robert N. McCauley
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 352 pages
File Size : 16,57 MB
Release : 2013-11
Category : Psychology
ISBN : 0199341540
A comparison of the cognitive foundations of religion and science and an argument that religion is cognitively natural and that science is cognitively unnatural.
Author : Henry H. Bauer
Publisher : McFarland
Page : 260 pages
File Size : 13,87 MB
Release : 2017-06-26
Category : Reference
ISBN : 1476669104
This book discusses the ways in which science, the touchstone of reliable knowledge in modern society, changed dramatically in the second half of the 20th century, becoming less trustworthy through conflicts of interest and excessive competitiveness. Fraud became common enough that organized efforts to combat it now include a federal Office of Research Integrity. Competent minority opinions are sometimes thereby suppressed, with the result that policy makers, the media and the public are presented with biased or incomplete information. Evidence tending to challenge established theories is sometimes rejected without addressing its substance. While most would agree in the abstract that science can go wrong, few would consider--despite interesting contrary evidence--that official consensus about the origins of the universe or the causes of global warming might be mistaken.
Author : Nicola Gaston
Publisher : Bridget Williams Books
Page : 55 pages
File Size : 33,47 MB
Release : 2015-11-09
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 090832166X
Science changes the world because the creation of knowledge opens up new pathways for us to explore new ways of doing things, and new questions to ask. My optimism lies in the fact that I think that the answer to why science is sexist does all of these things. In this eye-opening BWB Text, Nicola Gaston, President of the New Zealand Association of Scientists, reveals the ways in which the discipline of science is sexist. From the under-representation of women to the argument that mental capabilities are gendered, Gaston demonstrates the extent of our unconscious bias against female scientists, and warns of its damaging consequences for science and for society. In asking what can be done to combat this bias, she calls for us to rethink not just our attitudes towards gender, but also towards scientific knowledge and inquiry.
Author : National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher : National Academies Press
Page : 167 pages
File Size : 35,10 MB
Release : 2016-11-14
Category : Education
ISBN : 0309447569
Science is a way of knowing about the world. At once a process, a product, and an institution, science enables people to both engage in the construction of new knowledge as well as use information to achieve desired ends. Access to scienceâ€"whether using knowledge or creating itâ€"necessitates some level of familiarity with the enterprise and practice of science: we refer to this as science literacy. Science literacy is desirable not only for individuals, but also for the health and well- being of communities and society. More than just basic knowledge of science facts, contemporary definitions of science literacy have expanded to include understandings of scientific processes and practices, familiarity with how science and scientists work, a capacity to weigh and evaluate the products of science, and an ability to engage in civic decisions about the value of science. Although science literacy has traditionally been seen as the responsibility of individuals, individuals are nested within communities that are nested within societiesâ€"and, as a result, individual science literacy is limited or enhanced by the circumstances of that nesting. Science Literacy studies the role of science literacy in public support of science. This report synthesizes the available research literature on science literacy, makes recommendations on the need to improve the understanding of science and scientific research in the United States, and considers the relationship between scientific literacy and support for and use of science and research.