Science and technology in world history : an introduction

Author(s)

Bibliographic Information

Science and technology in world history : an introduction

James E. McClellan III and Harold Dorn

Johns Hopkins University Press, c2015

3rd ed

  • : hardcover
  • : pbk

Available at  / 5 libraries

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Note

Previous ed.: 2006

Includes bibliographical references (p. [485]-512) and index

Description and Table of Contents

Description

Tracing the relationship between science and technology from the dawn of civilization to the early twenty-first century, James E McClellan III and Harold Dorn's bestselling book argues 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, which societies patronized from time immemorial, and the exploration of questions about nature itself, which the ancient Greeks originated. The authors examine scientific traditions that took root in China, India, and Central and South America, as well as in a series of Near Eastern empires in late antiquity and the Middle Ages. From this comparative perspective, McClellan and Dorn survey the rise of the West, the Scientific Revolution of the seventeenth century, the Industrial Revolution, and the modern marriage of science and technology. They trace the development of world science and technology today while raising provocative questions about the sustainability of industrial civilization. This new edition of Science and Technology in World History offers an enlarged thematic introduction and significantly extends its treatment of industrial civilization and the technological super system built on the modern electrical grid. The Internet and social media receive increased attention. Facts and figures have been thoroughly updated and the work includes a comprehensive Guide to Resources, incorporating the major published literature along with a vetted list of websites and Internet resources for students and lay readers.

Table of Contents

Preface Introduction Part I. 1. Humankind Emerges 2. The Reign of the Farmer 3. Pharaohs and Engineers 4. Greeks Bearing Gifts 5. Alexandria and After Part II. 6. The Enduring East 7. The Middle Kingdom 8. Indus, Ganges, and Beyond 9. The New World Part III. 10. Plows, Stirrups, Guns, and Plagues 11. Copernicus Incites a Revolution 12. The Crime and Punishment of Galileo Galilei 13. "God said, 'Let Newton be!'" Part IV. 14. Textiles, Timber, Coal, and Steam 15. Legacies of Revolution: From Newton toEinstein 16. Life Itself 17. Toolmakers Take Command 18. The New Aristotelians 19. The Bomb, the Internet, and the Genome 20. Under Today's Pharaohs Afterword Guide to Resources Illustration Credits Index

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