A Short History of Nearly Everything

He portrays scientific research as dangerous by declaring that a “single step can also take one of a cliff.” This further emphasizes the courage prerequisite to scientists and hearkens back to the fear of the unknown. The fact that all of one’s work may be dashed into pieces by a single finding in the laboratory conveys the tenacity of researchers. Barry’s description of the process by which a scientist decides which “tools” are appropriate to the task at hand, exemplifies the tedious and often inglorious labor involved in most scientific research. Barry finally predicts that if a scientist is successful a “flood” of colleagues and others will “pave roads” over the paths so painstakingly laid, taking one within minutes to the very place the scientist spent so long searching for. This suggests that in the wake of major discovery, the actual pioneer of this breakthrough may be forgotten. Countless researchers have made valuable contributions to the human understanding of the world, and faded into obscurity over the course of the history of science. Barry’s conceit conveys the fact that, like exploring uncharted wilderness, scientific research can be both treacherous and thankless, but all the more noble for

Bronowski, J. (2012). Science. In The Norton reader: An anthology of nonfiction (13th ed., pp. 886-889). New York: W.W. Norton

In reading a Little History of the World by E.H. Gombrich you realize that history seems so much less complicated when you are the one standing back and reflecting on the past. You realize how easy it is to often forget that every single new idea, religion and war was a struggle that lasted generations upon generations. History is more than just a page or a story, its our account of the world. That goes to show how short life and history is, you realize that history is always repeating, war after war, peace then war. There are good and bad periods in history and its up to us to learn from them. In a way history is much like a human being it goes through stages, learns about life, and has inner struggles or wars about their ideas and their beliefs.

John M. Barry, the author of The Great Influenza, writes about scientists and the obstacles they face. He claims that scientists are explorers in the wilderness that is science. There is no charted path to go down and no one to follow. Scientists will always be uncertain, however scientists should possess certain characteristics to overcome the doubt. He appeals to our emotions to explain the necessary characteristics a scientist has to posses. John M. Barry uses anaphoras, motifs, and pathos in his definition of what scientists do.

depicts the unreal. Even though he talks about science in most of his stories, they are

“The best among [the scientists] move deep into a wilderness region where they know almost nothing, where the very tools and techniques needed to clear the wilderness, to bring order to it, do not exist” (25-29). By referencing the need “to clear the wilderness”, Barry conjures an image of a lumberjack, who heroically conquers the wilderness to nurture the advent of civilization. In a similar manner, he claims that scientists wield axes to chop away the foliage that obscure scientific discoveries opening the gateways for unparalleled growth and innovation. Moreover, Barry continues his claim by asserting that“If the researcher succeeds, a flood of colleagues will pave roads over the path laid, and those roads will be orderly and straight, taking an investigator in minutes to a place the pioneer spent months or years looking for” (Barry 49-53). Following the back-breaking labor of clearing forests, Barry muses how the “flood” of subsequent scientists lay down the bricks to form a continuous road that civilizes and tames the unknown. In addition, Barry channels the immense power of “floods” and bestows it upon scientists; this evokes the notion that scientists possess power of equal magnitude, when well-harnessed, can transform and innovate scientific research. Thus, by utilizing metaphors as a vessel to grant powers to

As the story progresses, Caswell’s view on science becomes clearer and readers can determine for themselves where the line should be drawn to keep society safe.

Neil DeGrasse Tyson is an exceptionally qualified individual to address the issues brought up over the course of the book. He received his bachelor’s degree in physics from Harvard University in 1980, master’s degree in astronomy from the University of Texas at Austin in 1983, and master’s and doctorate’s degrees in astrophysics from Columbia University in 1989 and 1994 respectively. Tyson has been the director of the Hayden Planetarium at the Rose Center for Earth and Space since 1996, as well as a research associate for the American Museum

Part three seems to underuse the subject chosen, but in this part, there will be a shift of focus, it is primarily given to the method the article uses, as well as the concept of scientism.

A Short History of Nearly Everything describes the experiences and circumstances under which scientists discovered elements of nature and invented devices that revolutionized the world. As a result of knowledge of the experiences of others that led to their prestige, I would be inspired to formulate methods by which I could maximize the quality of life within my vicinity. In addition, the amount of knowledge within Bryson’s book will satisfy my curiosity by providing a means of education in an uninteresting environment. Consequently, the contents of the novel will undoubtedly make the surrounding environment much more interesting as I would be able to relate to how some of the discoveries within the novel came about through an extensive observation of

Maxwell uses this explanation of molecular science to bridge the reader towards a discussion of their larger implications, as he writes that, “the most important effect of molecular biology on our way of thinking will be that it forces on our attention the distinction between two kinds of knowledge…the Dynamical and Statistical” (438). The distinction between these two types of knowledge is critical for Maxwell’s argument on the question of free will and determinism, and since molecular science leads to that distinction (while also providing insight into the nature of world and whether it is stable or unstable) – the progress of natural science builds a better framework to allow for a greater human understanding of free will, and whether or not we have

There are very many fields of science. There are three basic groups of sciences. Very many scientists and people have discovered or invented very many things. And my inventor or discoverer has a theory on energy.

In order to attempt to trace the origins of the modern science that we now refer to

Other phrases throughout the first four pages use words like "nightmare", "destroy", "haunt", and "anguish" to attract readers to how seriously society takes awareness of science. These phrases get readers to feel the urgency of the views against science in society. The dark phrasing successfully shows that society has taken a responsible view against incorrect scientific application.

This book, ‘What is this Thing called Science?’ is assigned to write a review on the third edition which was published in the year 1999, 1st February by University of Queensland Press. This book is reflects up to date with day today’s contemporary trend and gives a basic introduction on the philosophy of science. This is a very comprehensive book explaining the nature of science and its historical development. It is very informative and a necessary reference when attempting to understand the how science has evolved throughout time. The book is also well organized, and each chapter is concluded with suggestions for further reading. This book is actually a review on the philosophy of science.