Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Preface
Introduction
1: Newton Gets It Completely Wrong
2: I Believe
3: Thomas Aquinas versus Neil Armstrong
4: The Second Law
5: Predicting Catastrophe
6: From Newton to De Sade: The partial Triumph of Reason
7: From Rousseau to Blake: The Revolt against Reason
8: Lodestone, Amber, and Lightning
9: Belief and Action
10: The Demise of Alchemy
11: The Nineteenth Century
12: The Material Trinity: The Atom
13: The Stuff of Existence
14: Scipio's Dream
15: Making Waves
16: The Ubiquity of Motion
17: Energy
18: Entropy: Intimations of Mortality
19: Chaos
20: The Slow Birth of Biology
21: In a Monastery Garden
22: Evolution
23: The Descent of Man
24: The Gene Machine
25: The Lords of Nature?
26: Life: The Molecular Battle
27: The Origin of Life? Take Your Choice
28: The Inexplicable Quantum
29: New Ways of Thinking
30: The Land of Paradox
31: The Elementary Particles
32: Relativity
33: Cosmology
34: The Cosmos and Peeping Tom
35: The Impossibility of Creation
36: The Tree of Death
37: "What the Devil Does It All Mean?"
38: The Future
Annotated Bibliography
Index

About the Author

Brian L. Silver was Professor of Physical Chemistry at the Techion, or Institute of Technology, in Israel. He died in 1997, just prior to the publication of this book.

Reviews

"Like a good tour book, [this volume] takes us to all the principle locations in the realm and shows us not only what's to be found there, but also its history, its effect on history, philosophy, technology and society, and vignettes about local heroes....A comprehensive, balanced, informative and charming book....For [those] curious to know what science is really all about, this book makes very good one-stop shopping."--The New York Times Book Review
"For anyone interested in but intimidated by the scientific enterprise, The Ascent of Science provides an inviting assessment of the discipline. That it does so without diminishing either the complexity or the awe-inspiring power of science is a major accomplishment, one that opens the door to humanity's greatest intellectual adventure and reveals the many ways in which science has altered the way we see the world and ourselves."--Research and
Innovation
"Confident but not arrogant, comprehensive, thought-provoking, and very well written. Silver has given us one of the most stimulating overviews of science in recent years."--Kirkus Reviews
"Considering the in-depth, comprehensive character of this overview of the scientific enterprise, the accessibility of Silver's narrative is remarkable."--Booklist
"Silver does more than explain scientific achievements with wit and grace: For him, science is fun. In this spirit, he leads a whirlwind tour through the wondrous worlds of molecular biology, animal evolution, quantum mechanics, and relativity."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"A book commendable for its breadth, depth, and vision, conveying effectively the intellectual majesty and cold-blooded rational rigor of science, with erudition and sensitivity. Highly recommended to all undergraduate science students."--Science & Technology
"Silver shows the intellectual and philosophical underpinnings of the scientist's quest for knowledge. His writing style is nothing less than charming."--Ben Bova, Courant

"Like a good tour book, [this volume] takes us to all the principle locations in the realm and shows us not only what's to be found there, but also its history, its effect on history, philosophy, technology and society, and vignettes about local heroes....A comprehensive, balanced, informative and charming book....For [those] curious to know what science is really all about, this book makes very good one-stop shopping."--The New York Times Book Review "For anyone interested in but intimidated by the scientific enterprise, The Ascent of Science provides an inviting assessment of the discipline. That it does so without diminishing either the complexity or the awe-inspiring power of science is a major accomplishment, one that opens the door to humanity's greatest intellectual adventure and reveals the many ways in which science has altered the way we see the world and ourselves."--Research and Innovation "Confident but not arrogant, comprehensive, thought-provoking, and very well written. Silver has given us one of the most stimulating overviews of science in recent years."--Kirkus Reviews "Considering the in-depth, comprehensive character of this overview of the scientific enterprise, the accessibility of Silver's narrative is remarkable."--Booklist "Silver does more than explain scientific achievements with wit and grace: For him, science is fun. In this spirit, he leads a whirlwind tour through the wondrous worlds of molecular biology, animal evolution, quantum mechanics, and relativity."--Publishers Weekly (starred review) "A book commendable for its breadth, depth, and vision, conveying effectively the intellectual majesty and cold-blooded rational rigor of science, with erudition and sensitivity. Highly recommended to all undergraduate science students."--Science & Technology "Silver shows the intellectual and philosophical underpinnings of the scientist's quest for knowledge. His writing style is nothing less than charming."--Ben Bova, Courant

Where does heat come from? What is light? Did life start on Earth? Can physical phenomena be accurately measured? We may not think often about these questions, but for readers who do, Silver, professor of physical chemistry at the Israel Institute of Technology, is a reliable guide. Silver does more than explain scientific achievements with wit and grace: For him, science is fun. In this spirit, he leads a whirlwind tour through wondrous worlds of molecular biology, animal evolution, quantum mechanics, and relativity. The first half of the book is largely devoted to the rise of classical physics and subsequent "Cracks in Newton's Pedestal." After a discussion of chaos that leads to a section on biology, he continues his narrative with quantum theory and, finally, relativity. No matter how heady the subject, Silver stands undaunted in his belief that there is no topic too complex to explain to a determined lay reader, l'homme moyen sensuel, or HMS, as Silver calls him. Finally, one must applaud Silver's bravery in pointing out that even scientists approach their trade with a modicum of faith. Not all scientific conclusions, especially in the field of quantum mechanics, jibe with common sense; it is common for theories initially to appear to explain the facts satisfactorily, but later to be proven wrong. Science involves a lot of guesswork: theories can just as often obscure as elucidate nature's inner workings. For Silver, however, this is the wonder of science and reason for its ascent. Like the living creatures that cover the earth, science, too, evolves. (Jan.)