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"Physics professor Nicolaides knits together history, religion, science, and philosophy."—Publishers Weekly
GENRE: Overall Human Culture, History of Science, Science, Religion, Philosophy.
IN THE LIGHT OF SCIENCE
Our Ancient Quest for Knowledge and the
Measure of Modern Physics
The birth of science in ancient Greece had a historical impact that is still being felt today. Physicist Demetris Nicolaides examines the epochal shift in thinking that led pre-Socratic philosophers of the sixth and fifth centuries BCE to abandon the prevailing mythologies of the age and, for the first time, to analyze the natural world in terms of impersonal, rationally understood principles. He argues not only that their conceptual breakthroughs anticipated much of later science but that scientists of the twenty-first century are still grappling with the fundamental problems raised twenty-five hundred years ago.
Looking at the vast sweep of human history, the author delves into the factors that led to the birth of science: urbanization, the role of religion, and in Greece a progressive intellectual curiosity that was unafraid to question tradition.
Why did the first scientific approach to understanding the world take place in Greece? The author makes a convincing case that, aside from factors of geography and politics, the power of the Greek language and a cultural proclivity for critical thinking played a large role.
In the Light of Science is a unique approach to the history of science revealing the important links between the ancient past and the present scientific endeavor to understand the universe.
Praise for In the Light of Science
"Bloomfield College physics professor Nicolaides knits together history, religion, science, and philosophy ... . Readers looking for an informal introduction to the early history of science and its philosophical links to modern physics will find an accessible introduction here."—Publishers Weekly
"... a wonderful new book relating ancient science to modern theories ... an excellent resource for teachers and college students alike ... will start one thinking about issues that are now once again being grappled with in the largest universities."—National Science Teaching Association
"An engaging crosswalk between key Pre-Socratic Greek philosophers' concepts of the natural world and current cutting-edge physics research ... . VERDICT: This book's unusual approach to history, philosophy, and modern physics should be enjoyable to readers from high schoolers through adult."—Library Journal
"In the Light of Science is a very rational guide to science’s historical beginnings and then how history, philosophy, religion, culture, and science combined to form what we are familiar with today. It’s a high-concept read, but approachable enough that a layperson can understand it with minimal re-reading. ... Above all this book inspires readers ... "—San Francisco Book Review
"... a competent and accessible reconstruction of the views of noteworthy Greek philosophers and an introduction to the current frontiers of physical inquiry. … Nicolaides succeeds in communicating his admonition to consider today’s scientific progress within the broader sweep of human history. ... sees science as but one incarnation—albeit the most successful—of the impulse that drives all essentially human activities. ... [In the Light of Science is] as much philosophical as historical and as much about the present as the past."—Physics Today
"It hits on a bit of everything and its relevance. For those of you who are less aware [of the topic] and who really want to get a better grounding in science, then this book is an ideal choice. Nicolaides will smoothly get you to grips across the board without getting you caught up in the mathematics and formulas. ... [He] cross-matches ancient history and development of ideas right up to modern time. ... a useful volume to own."—SF Crowsnest
"Philosophy and Science Tied Together Through Religion and History ... Combining philosophy, science, religion and history into a path of knowledge, In The Light of Science provides a highly intelligent and in-depth look into how everything is tied together. … [It] truly gives the reader insight and compound thoughts about the evolution of science and what mankind has learned. … [It] provides a fascinating correlation to modern thoughts and science today with ancient ideas as a building block valid in today’s world."—Portland Book Review
"Notable New Nonfiction: Ping ponging between questions raised by ancient Greek philosophers and cutting edge physics, Nicolaides' engagingly written history shows how the Greeks created scientific thought and raised questions regarding existence and reality that we're still pondering today."—County of Los Angeles Public Library
"In the Light of Science chronicles the birth of science in ancient Greece, showing that Greek philosophers anticipated much that later science developed and continues to pursue to this day."—Publishers Weekly
"This is a look at the vast sweep of history that led to the birth of science and its advancement by those unafraid to question tradition. Combining history and science, it makes for some very interesting reading."—National Book Critics Circle
"In this innovative look at the history of science and at science itself, an award-winning professor of physics examines the epochal shift in thinking that led pre-Socratic philosophers of the sixth and fifth centuries BCE to abandon the prevailing mythologies of the age and for the first time to analyze the natural world in terms of rationally understood principles."—The Skeptical Inquirer: The Magazine for Science and Reason
"This easy-to-read volume brings fresh perspective to the usual retelling of the connection between Greek philosophy and the rise of modern physics. … the discussions are general enough to serve as good introductory material for undergraduate courses in the philosophy of science or Western philosophy and physics. The book is also suitable for readers interested in epistemology, philosophy, and the physical sciences. Summing Up: Recommended. All academic and general audiences."—Choice
“Why This Title [In the Light of Science] Appeals to Readers. Appeal terms describe the 'feel' of the book. Writing Style: Accessible, Concise. Accessible: These books explain a complicated or technical issue in an approachable manner. Concise: Without wasting a word, these nonfiction books deliver a wealth of information in a succinct format.”—The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County
"In the Light of Science is a unique approach to the history of science revealing the important links between the ancient past and the present scientific endeavor to understand the universe."—Prometheus Books
"A fascinating book for the nonspecialized reader interested in a broad and new interpretation of the history of science, as well as one who is curious about science itself."—Klimis Ntalianis, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Engineering, Technological Educational Institute of Athens (University of Applied Sciences), Athens, Greece.
"An exciting new approach in the comparison of ancient Greek philosophy with the theories of modern physics."—Ivana Djuric, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Physics, Passaic County Community College, USA.
"The thing I find most interesting is your discussions of how modern physics builds on and thus coincides in many ways with the philosophic speculations of the ancient Greeks."—Dennis Organ, Ph.D., Emeritus Professor of English, and Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities, Harding University, USA.
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