Anonymous
Posted April 6, 2012
Had to read this for a college class and it wasnt bad. The writing style is a little annoying to me, but it was still good.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted June 9, 2000
The World History Association has awarded this book its 2000 prize because of its coverage, not only of Western science, but also of regions as far afield as China, the Muslim World, and Pre-Columbian America, as well as ancient times. It provides a basis for comparative study of a marker that many historians use to measure change over time in human societies.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
More About This Textbook
Overview
Now in its second edition, this bestselling textbook may be the single most influential study of the historical relationship between science and technology ever published. Tracing this relationship from the dawn of civilization through the twentieth century, James E. McClellan III and Harold Dorn argue that technology as "applied science" emerged relatively recently, as industry and governments began funding scientific research that would lead directly to new or improved technologies.
McClellan and Dorn identify two great scientific traditions: the useful sciences, patronized by the state from the dawn of civilization, and scientific theorizing, initiated by the ancient Greeks. They find that scientific traditions took root in China, India, and Central and South America, as well as in a series of Near Eastern empires, during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. From this comparative perspective, the authors explore the emergence of Europe and the United States as a scientific and technological power.
The new edition reorganizes its treatment of Greek science and significantly expands its coverage of industrial civilization and contemporary science and technology with new and revised chapters devoted to applied science, the sociology and economics of science, globalization, and the technological systems that underpin everyday life.
The Johns Hopkins University Press
Editorial Reviews
Nature
This historical account achieves its basic aim of demonstrating that, with the exception of quite recent history, technology has always influenced science, not the other way round.
Technology and Culture
Inclusive and straightforward.
Canadian Journal of History/Annales canadiennes d'histoire
If I could attach bells and whistles and flashing lights to this review I would do so because McClellan and Dorn's book deserves to be brought to the attention of all professional historians—and indeed the general reading public—by any means necessary.
Booknews
Responding to their experience teaching at Stevens Institute of Technology, McClellan and Dorn introduce undergraduates and lay readers to the history of science and technology. Their treatment starts with the first use of tools and treads through agriculture, the classical world, a brief tour of everywhere but Europe, the middle ages, and the industrial revolution to the modern world. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)Product Details
Related Subjects
Meet the Author
James E. McClellan III is professor of the history of science and Harold Dorn is professor emeritus of the history of science and technology at the Stevens Institute of Technology.
The Johns Hopkins University Press
Table of Contents