Book Review: The Scientists by John Gribbin

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 14^th-17^th 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 17^th-18^th 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.

The Economic Development of Society

Production and economic structure have a level of association when attempting to develop stronger economic growth. According to a paper by Tvaronaviciene & Lankauskiene (2013), a review of economic history finds that many of the main theories associated with economic growth are about platform growth. They propose in their literary study that economic growth often puts pressure to change the economic structure of society. 

Most researchers measure economic growth through GDP. As a benchmark, a large percentage of countries use natural resources to create wealth. Yet this approach is not sustainable in the end. The development of knowledge based societies and innovative sectors are more likely to maintain growth into the future. This growth improves upon the livelihoods of those within the workforce. 

Adam Smith produced the famous book An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of Wealth of Nations (1776). Market forces are seen as the invisible hand and are generally better regulators than government (Willis, 2005). Societies that seek to gain wealth begin to improve upon their production and then export that production to other areas of the world. 

 John Maynard Keynes published the General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money (1936).  In Keynes argument, the free market could be a positive or a negative force and that investment was the real key to overall growth (Willis, 2005). Continually investing in newer infrastructure projects helps adjust the structure and maintain higher levels of growth. 

One method of increasing development was the mobilization of domestic and foreign savings in order to generate sufficient investment to accelerate economic growth (Todaro & Smith, 2011). Economies move from subsistence agriculture, to modern urbanized centers and into more industrial diverse manufacturing and services.  In order for an economy to develop, it must move transit from one economic structure to a higher structural platform. 

The paper discusses the movement from a primarily agricultural society to one an urban society with products and services. It does not really move beyond this point but does hint how social structure can advance through advancements in technology. If we look at the pace of technology development as seen in portable computers, social media, micro manufacturing, etc. the next level of development is not yet clearly defined. True sustainability is based in the high capacity development generated from the advanced technologies of modern times. These technologies create a higher platform where various entities can help form profound new products and services through the contribution of interconnected societal elements. 

Willis, (2005). Theories and practices of development. Routledge, Taylor & Fracis group: London and New York. 

Todaro, M. & Smith (2011). Economic development (Eleventh edition). Pearson Education limited: England.

Tvaronaviciene, M. & Lankauskiene, T. (2013). The impact of production factors and economic structures on economic development. Business Theory and Practice, 14 (1).