The Science Matrix - The Journey, Travails, Triumphs - Seitz Frederick

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Résumé :
Why did what we now call science develop as it did in Western Europe ? What mode it such a powerful force for the development of technology ? Why did other cultures - such as China, which has had a continuous history of intellectual inquiry far longer than Western Europe - not develop a similar science ? What can we expect of the future-and of predictions of the future ? In these essays, Professor Seltz, President Emeritus of Rockefeller University, investigates the role of science and technology in modern society . its origins in ancient Greece and Rome . the remarkable consolidation in the Islamic world . the expansion of the center of scientific activity from Western Europe to North America and, most recently, to Japan . and the role science and technology play in shaping each other. In addition, he discusses how our perceptions affect the understanding of science . the relationship between " big science " and " little science ". and the role science and technology can play in alleviating environmental concerns, particularly with respect to nuclear science.