The Scientists by John
Gribbin will bring you through the eras of science and how the masters lived
and worked. He starts during the Renaissance, moves into the Enlightenment Age
and then into modern science. It is a great book for those who want to
understand how science develops by the building on previous knowledge to create
greater understanding of ourselves and the world in which we live. Not all of
their lives were easy but each were able to accomplish something that
contributes to the body of knowledge.
The Renaissance 14th-17th Century: Starting in Italy it was a time that marked a distinct
release of old ways of thinking embedded in the Dark Ages to an exploration of
human spirit. The use of observation and science began to create a cultural
renaissance throughout Europe that raised their position in the world.
Literature, art, diplomacy and science made their way into the lives of the
elite. It was a process fostered by patronage
of the Medici family and the conquering of Constantinople by the Turks that
brought a whole host of new Greek scholars and Arab science to Europe.
The Renaissance period was
marked by Copernicus and the moving earth, Leonard Digges and the telescope and
the Thomas Diggs with his concept of the universe. Other great men include Rene
Descartes and coordinates, Newton and the laws of motion, and Edmond Halley’s
attempt to measure the atom. It was a time marked by men moving away from the
awe of the ancients to a greater understanding of how small we are in the
world. The exploration of the globe, math, and science fostered greater
analysis.
The Enlightenment Age or Age of Reason 17th-18th
Century: Individualism and reason
moved against tradition. Practicality became more announced with the advancement of
the scientific method. Logic and reason created healthy exchange of
information. People like Francis Bacon, John Locke, Voltaire, Isaac Newton and
Spinoza brought a whole new way of viewing the world.
It created new discoveries
such as machinery, chemicals, and classification of elements, refraction of
light, electricity, systematic logic, and a better understanding of the universe. People
tried to apply their knowledge to the creation of new things. They experimented
and developed new items that led to the Industrial Age and the modern period.
Small machines became manufacturing centers and the world changed.
Today’s science is a
greater refinement and understanding. We are moving inward and outward in our
explorations. We have moved into the body and now understand the intimate
nature of DNA and shot telescopes into space. The next discoveries will be
about refining previous theories, expanding them, and moving into minute
details of existence. This could not have come without the advances of previous
ages and the building of one idea onto the next, and the next, and the next.
The body of literature has expanded at a tremendous pace in the past 10 years.
Gribbin, J. (2004). The Scientists. New York: Random House
Trade Paperbacks.
