Robert P. Crease looks at questions about when a scientific discovery becomes accepted fact, who decides this and how citizens should interact with the scientific process. He answers by introducing the world's greatest thinkers and explaining how they shaped scientific progress.

At a time when the Catholic Church assumed total authority, Bacon, Galileo and Descartes were the first to articulate the idea of scientific expertise, while writers such as Shelley and Comte questioned the scientific process. Centuries later, scholars such as Ataturk and Arendt examined the relationship between the scientific community and the public-especially in times of distrust in experts. An exploration of what it means to practise science for the common good and who can question expertise, this book will help readers understand how we reached the current moment of anti-science rhetoric and what we can do about it.

About the Author
Robert P. Crease is the chairman of the philosophy department at Stony Brook University and the author of several books on science, including The Quantum Moment and The Great Equations. He lives in New York City.


Book Information
ISBN 9780393292435
Author Robert P. Crease
Format Hardback
Page Count 272
Imprint WW Norton & Co
Publisher WW Norton & Co
Weight(grams) 543g
Dimensions(mm) 244mm * 165mm * 28mm