The Oxford Book of Modern Science Writing

Fantastic collection of important works and thoughts. Intelligent and insightful commentary explains background and significance of each entry.

This book is a must read for every science lover. Moreover for every person who is truly interested about the wonders, mysteries and surprises of science. A book of intellectual honesty that should belong to any private or public library.

What a breath of fresh air, in these times of alt.med. vitalistic spiritistic woo, to hear an actual scientist state how nonscientific vitalism and dualism actually are, and I quote:

"life is the execution of programs written using a small digital alphabet in a single, universal machine language. This realization was the hammer blow that knocked the last nail in the coffin of vitalism and, by extension, of dualism. The hammer was wielded, with undisguised youthful relish, by James Watson and Francis Crick [p.030...] for me, the greatest achievement of Watson and Crick was to turn genetics from a branch of wet and squishy physiology into a branch of information technology, in the process slaying, as I suggested above, the ghost of vitalism [p.226]."

-r.c.

Folks often wonder where the scientists draw the energy to spend all those hours studying descriptive models and terminology about the natural world. The answer is in this book!

Personally, I believe we are all born curious investegators. why and how are facinating topics. But about some time in middle school, we enounter science out of the context of spirited, enjoyable curiosity. The education system serves us a bitter dish for this delightful subject of science. Most agree, it's hard to learn something you don't care for. People lose the care, thus losing the affinity for it and then they grow up looking at a scientist as elitist overacheivers.

This book aims to open your eyes and remind you of that spirited curiosity, that maybe science might become a bigger part of your life..because unadulterated curiosity is the key to learning science.

Richard Dawkins has become something of an institution with his interest in biology, atheism, evolution, creationism, and religion. Its a great joy to review one of his books without having to worry about offending the proponents of creationism and intelligent design.

Dawkins has put together a wonderful collection of short essays on various aspects of science by a wide range of people known primarily as practicing scientists rather than writers on science.

This collection requires a bit of scientific knowledge. Like most collections, you may not enjoy all the essays. But it is a great joy to read an essay or two, and save the rest for later.

Robert C. Ross 2008