Re: history of science

["J. Peter Vajk" <vajk@IX.NETCOM.COM>]

> From: Ludwik Kowalski [SMTP:KowalskiL@MAIL.MONTCLAIR.EDU]
> Sent: Tuesday, November 07, 2000 11:57 AM
> To:   PHYS-L@lists.nau.edu
> Subject:      history of science

As preparation for teaching history of science,  especially for
non-science majors, I would recommend immersing yourself over the next
semester and summer in several very readable tomes -- pick and choose
according to your interests,  but this background to using any
conventional history of science text would leave you VERY well prepared
for ANY classful of liberal arts undergraduates.

Bronowski -- "The Ascent of Man"
Kenneth Clark -- "Civilization"
        (both of these are also available as PBS video series -- they deal
with, basically, Western civilization -- many would condemn them as
Euro-centric, but, hey, that IS where most of modern science came from!)

Robert Pirsig -- "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" --for the
history of Western philosophy which underlies Western science -- and not
all of it praiseworthy!

Alexander Koyre -- ""From the Closed World to the Infinite Universe"

A.G. d'Abro's classic "Newton to Einstein"  (available sometimes from
Dover Books -- it's a real classic,  but unfortunately, nobody has any
biographical information of any substance on the author.  This was
puiblished in the 1920's or 30's originally,  and includes relativity
and quantum mechanics, but not quantum field theory).

Arthur Koestler -- "The Discoverers" -- mostly on history of astronomy
and cosmology,  with lots of personal insights on Copernicus, Tycho,
Kepler, Galileo, etc.

Galileo himself -- "Dialogue Concerning Two Great World Systems" and
        "Dialogue on Two New Sciences"

Dava Sobel "Longitude" -- also available as an A&E video

(can't remember the author's name at the moment) -- "Nine Numbers of the
Cosmos" -- very up to date,  recapping much of 20-th century physics.

(can't remember the author's name at the moment) -- "T. rex and the
Crater of Doom" -- how we came to our modern understanding of geological
and evolutionary history is covered concisely as a backdrop to the title
tale.

James Burke -- "Connections" books and/or video series from PBS

Best wishes!

Peter Vajk
St. Joseph Notre Dame High Schoool
Alameda, CA 94501