Overview

The result of an unusual collaboration between a physicist with a strong interest in the histories of art and science, and a philosopher with a broad knowledge of science as a human activity, The Art of Science gives readers an appreciation of the activities of science: the hands-on work of experimentation, the struggle to convince people of the validity of novel findings, and the excitement of ""eureka"" moments. In so doing, the book shows how scientific knowledge is made, and occasionally unmade. The Art of Science steers a course between two important and contradictory images that have a myth-like status: that of the scientist as computer, and that of the scientist as genius. If we abandon these images to focus on what scientists really do, we see that the sciences are also arts. To show the artistry of science, text and images are woven together, so that the book makes its arguments not just through stories of science, but through vibrant and arresting illustrations that help to bring the activity of science to life. The Art of Science shows science not as austere and other-worldly, but as textured and wonderfully human.

Full Product Details

Author:   Boris Castel ,  Sergio Sismondo ,  Borris Castel
Publisher:   University of Toronto Press
Imprint:   University of Toronto Press
Edition:   2nd Revised edition
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 1.50cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.340kg
ISBN:  

9781442600980

ISBN 10:   1442600985
Pages:   200
Publication Date:   27 August 2008
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  Professional & Vocational
Replaced By:   9781551113876
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Temporarily unavailable  
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Table of Contents

1. The Computer and the Genius 2. Painting the Invisible 3. Logic and the Construction of Reason 4. Controversies and Consensus 5. Confronting Nature in Lab and Field 6. Doing Science in the Real World 7. The End of Science? Sources and Further Reading Acknowledgements

Reviews

Clearly analyzing the narratives, myths, and controversies at play in modern science, The Art of Science is an engaging exercise in the social study of human creativity. - Mark Kingwell, University of Toronto

Castel and Sismondo's discussion will certainly please all philosophers, sociologists, and historians with an interest in scientific practice, while the broad range of case studies and illustrations in each chapter will take students and general readers on a wonderful journey of discovery. -- Tecnoscienza

Author Information

Boris Castel, a nuclear physicist, is the author of several books on particle and nuclear physics. He is a professor of physics at Queen's University as well as the editor of the journal of ideas, Queen's Quarterly. Sergio Sismondo is a professor in the Department of Philosophy at Queen's University and author of several books and numerous articles on the philosophy and social studies of science.

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