I was excited to have a book review published in The Hoosier Science Teacher. Really interesting book by Timothy Ferris on Science and history. I am copying the review for anyone interested! The Science of Liberty: Democracy, Reason and the Laws of Nature by Timothy Ferris (Harper Collins Publishers, New York, NY, February 2011, $ 15.99) By Rick A. Parsons Retired - Kokomo High School, 2501 S. Berkley, Kokomo, IN 46902 Currently: Natural Resources /Solid Waste Specialists Tippecanoe County Timothy Ferris is one of our most prolific and dynamic science writers. His new book The Science of Liberty is a tour de force examining the fascinating relationship between liberal democracy and science. I am a huge fan of books exploring the many aspects of the history of science. Having read an entire series by the eminent British historian Lisa Jardine, I was under the mistaken opinion that I had heard nearly every idea relating science, philosophy, and history. Ferris’ thesis that science was the spark leading to liberty and that science continues to be the driving force behind modern liberal democracies is both intriguing and brilliantly argued in this fascinating book. This book is divided into three main sections and each is very thought provoking. First, Ferris makes the many historical links that connect science and liberty. He begins with Galileo during the renaissance and guides the reader to what he considers the pivotal moment in science: Newton writing the Principia in 1687. Newton’s ideas of universal, natural laws controlling the universe have a profound effect on political and philosophical thinkers of the age. Newton’s close friend John Locke, the “polar star” of the Declaration of Independence, soon describes a similar concept of the “natural rights of man”. Nearly every thinker from Adam Smith to Voltaire is influenced by Newton and the new age of reason. Ferris believes the standard view that science and liberal democracy just coincidently arose at the same time is missing the real impact science had on the enlightenment. The second part of the book discusses the many differences between the revolution for American independence and the French Terror that followed. The author argues the major difference was that American intellectuals leading the revolution were men of scientific training and influence. Individuals like Jefferson, Franklin, Adams, and Washington were extremely knowledgeable about science and many were working amateur scientists. He argues the Declaration itself was grounded in “logic, mathematics, and science”. Jefferson even writes of “an American experiment in freedom”. The final section of the book explores the many disastrous examples of totalitarian anti-science found in history and, that unfortunately are still present today. There are the pseudoscientific beliefs of Hitler and the Nazis resulting in the murder and torture of millions of innocent people. He details both Stalin and Mao’s brutal regimes where science was always under the fist of communist dogma. Ferris even makes a convincing argument that today’s radical academics, operating under the umbrella of postmodernism, have stifled rational scientific thinking and turned the general public against universally accepted principles. (i.e. evolution, global warming, etc.) Even Radical Islamists are called out for their belief in a religious world view that sees both science and the West as enemies. The Science of Liberty is well worth the time it takes to read, think deeply about, and discuss with friends and colleagues. The author makes a strong argument that both the political left and right have gotten us off the logical and rational path that could make this world a better place. When we talk to our students or others about the importance of scientific literacy it just might be that the strong link between science and liberty should be at the top of our list of arguments. I am thoroughly convinced by what Oliver Wendell Holmes once said, “A mind once stretched by a new idea never regains its original dimensions”. amazon/Science-Liberty-Democracy-Reason-Nature/dp/B0044KN08G/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1379545589&sr=1-1&keywords=the+science+of+liberty+democracy+reason+and+the+laws+of+nature
Posted on: Wed, 18 Sep 2013 23:09:50 +0000
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