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Curiosity

How Science Became Interested in Everything

Philip Ball

$27.99

Paperback

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English
Arrow
01 May 2013
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.

There was a time when curiosity was condemned.

Through curiosity, our innocence was said to be lost. Yet this hasn't deterred us. Today we spend vast sums trying to recreate the first instants of creation in particle accelerators, out of pure desire to know. There seems now to be no question too vast or too trivial. No longer reviled, curiosity is now celebrated.

By examining the rise of curiosity from the dawn of modern science to today, we can examine how it functions in science, how it is spun, packaged and sold, and how the changing shape of science influences the kinds of questions it may ask.
By:  
Imprint:   Arrow
Country of Publication:   United Kingdom
Dimensions:   Height: 198mm,  Width: 129mm,  Spine: 35mm
Weight:   410g
ISBN:   9780099554271
ISBN 10:   0099554275
Pages:   384
Publication Date:  
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  General/trade ,  Primary ,  Undergraduate
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active

Philip Ball is a freelance writer and a consultant editor for Nature, where he previously worked as an editor for physical sciences. He writes regularly in the scientific and popular media, and his many books on scientific subjects include Critical Mass: How One Thing Leads To Another, which won the 2005 Aventis Prize for Science Books. His latest books include The Music Instinct, Universe of Stone: Chartres Cathedral and the Triumph of the Medieval Mind, and, most recently, Unnatural: The Heretical Idea of Making People. Philip obtained a PhD in physics from the University of Bristol.

Reviews for Curiosity: How Science Became Interested in Everything

Philip Ball, like Levi, displays a polymath’s enthusiasm for knowledge of all kinds, and writes of science with humility and intelligent generosity. -- Ian Thomson * Telegraph * Ball's fascinating book revels not just in the experiments of these early scientists, but also in their humanity, foibles and passions -- Ian Critchley * 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 *


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