Bøger af Ronald L. Numbers

Over the course of human history, the sciences, and biology in particular, have often been manipulated to cause immense human suffering. By investigating the past, this book features contributors who hope to better prepare us to discern ideological abuse of science when it occurs in the future.

A falling apple inspired the law of gravity--or so the story goes. Is it true? Perhaps not. But why do such stories endure as explanations of how science happens? Newton's Apple and Other Myths about Science brushes away popular misconceptions to provide a clearer picture of scientific breakthroughs from ancient times to the present.

Focusing on crucial aspects of the history of Darwinism in America, Numbers gets to the heart of American resistance to Darwin's ideas. He provides a much-needed historical perspective on today's quarrels about creationism and evolution-and illuminates the specifically American nature of this struggle.

When and where did science begin? Historians have offered different answers to these questions, some pointing to Babylonian observational astronomy. This title examines how students of nature themselves, in various cultures and periods of history, have understood and represented their work.

First Published in 1995. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

As "intelligent design" makes headway against Darwinism in the schools and courts, this account of the roots of creationism assumes new relevance. Expanded and updated to account for the appeal of intelligent design and the global spread of creationism, this book offers a balanced overview of the arguments and figures at the heart of the debate.