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Science and Technology in World History: An Introduction
Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 509
EAN: 9780801883590
Edition: 2nd
ISBN: 0801883598
Label: The Johns Hopkins University Press
Manufacturer: The Johns Hopkins University Press
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 496
Publication Date: April 28, 2006
Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press
Studio: The Johns Hopkins University Press
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Editorial Review:Now in its second edition, this bestselling textbook may be the single most influential study of the historical relationship between science and technology ever published. Tracing this relationship from the dawn of civilization through the twentieth century, James E. McClellan III and Harold Dorn argue that technology as "applied science" emerged relatively recently, as industry and governments began funding scientific research that would lead directly to new or improved technologies. McClellan and Dorn identify two great scientific traditions: the useful sciences, patronized by the state from the dawn of civilization, and scientific theorizing, initiated by the ancient Greeks. They find that scientific traditions took root in China, India, and Central and South America, as well as in a series of Near Eastern empires, during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. From this comparative perspective, the authors explore the emergence of Europe and the United States as a scientific and technological power. The new edition reorganizes its treatment of Greek science and significantly expands its coverage of industrial civilization and contemporary science and technology with new and revised chapters devoted to applied science, the sociology and economics of science, globalization, and the technological systems that underpin everyday life.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - introductory textbook to the subject "history of technology" and "history of science)
The main thesis of this book is to show how technology and science developed largely independently of each other throughout almost all of history. Science and Technology in World Literally is quite literally an undergraduate course book. In view of the complexity of the subject matter, I found this to be a boon rather then hindrance. The authors do an amazing job summarizing complex material.
SciTechinWorHis (my abbreviation for the lengthy title) begins with a survey of the "pristine" ... Read More
Rating:  - Good intro-level textbook; needs supporting materials
This is a great introduction for an undergraduate level class on the history of sci/tech/med. However, as other reviewers have pointed out, there are some rough patches as the work nears the 20th century. Even though some glossing is necessary in a massive overview, I was particularly disturbed by the boilerplate explanation of mid-19th c. Darwinism without much reflection on the German, French, and English precursors (Lamarck is the exception, of course) and oversimplifying the impact on the religious community ... Read More
Rating:  - Must buy
This is an awesome book. It portrays a very well organized anrrative of science in history. I do not even major in history yet I kept the book. Awesome.
Rating: - Outstanding book, except...
I agree with the previous reviewers on their accessment of the book--with the exception of the very last part of it. In fact, the chapter on modern physics has so many mistakes that it is almost rendered unusable, which is odd because the quality of the rest of the book is so high.
I wouldn't expect that two authors would be able to pull off what they have tried to do here (with such a breadth of material), but I believe that if they invite a guest author (or editor) to help with the chapter on the history ... Read More
Rating: - History Through Science and Technology
This is an ambitious study of human history through its scientific and technological development. It begins with prehistoric times and ends with the many accomplishments of the late twentieth century. No area of the world is neglected, with much attention paid to the great civilizations of Asia in particular. There are also many mini-biographies of such worthies as Copernicus, Newton, Galileo, Edison, etc. which place them in the context of their time and the overall theme of technological development. The book ... Read More
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