The Ascent of Science
The Ascent of Scienceis a remarkable achievement: a concise, informative, and easily readable book  that breathes life into an often dry, impenetrable subject. The lengthy text spans several centuries of scientific discovery  and theory, from the Renaissance to the nineties--it even looks to the future. This is also a who's who of major scientific  players throughout history: Voltaire, Newton, Bacon, and Einstein, among others. But don't be put off by the prospect  of information overload--author Brian Silver remains succinct and engaging throughout, and even highly complex areas  such as relativity and chaos are made accessible by Silver's wit and energy. This is more than a primer on science;  Silver contextualizes science within the philosophy and politics of past and present times. Of particular fascination is  the Renaissance era, when scientific reasoning was equated with a violation against God. Descartes was accused of  fostering atheism, because of his belief that God's role was as creator of the universe only, and not as "mover of  the planets." (Descartes's books were banned by the Catholic church in 1663.) Although Silver died prior to the  publication ofThe Ascent of Science, his book remains a lasting testament to his love for science and his  remarkable ability to open up this world to everyone.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.