{"product_id":"uncommon-sense-the-heretical-nature-of-science","title":"Uncommon Sense: The Heretical Nature of Science","description":"\u003cp\u003eMost people believe that science arose as a natural end-product of our innate intelligence and curiosity  as an inevitable stage in human intellectual development. But physicist and educator Alan Cromer disputes this belief. Cromer argues that science is not the natural unfolding of human potential  but the invention of a particular culture  Greece  in a particular historical period. Indeed  far from being natural  scientific thinking goes so far against the grain of conventional human thought that if it hadnt been discovered in Greece  it might not have been discovered at all. In Uncommon Sense  Alan Cromer develops the argument that science represents a radically new and different way of thinking. Using Piagets stages of intellectual development  he shows that conventional thinking remains mired in subjective  \"egocentric\" ways of looking at the world--most people even today still believe in astrology  ESP  UFOs  ghosts and other paranormal phenomena--a mode of thought that science has outgrown. He provides a fascinating explanation of why science began in Greece  contrasting the Greek practice of debate to the Judaic reliance on prophets for acquiring knowledge. Other factors  such as a maritime economy and wandering scholars (both of which prevented parochialism) and an essentially literary religion not dominated by priests  also promoted in Greece an objective  analytical way of thinking not found elsewhere in the ancient world. He examines India and China and explains why science could not develop in either country. In China  for instance  astronomy served only the state  and the private study of astronomy was forbidden. Cromer also provides a perceptive account of science in Renaissance Europe and of figures such as Copernicus  Galileo  and Newton. Along the way  Cromer touches on many intriguing topics  arguing  for instance  that much of science is essential complete; there are no new elements yet to be discovered. He debunks the vaunted SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) project  which costs taxpayers millions each year  showing that physical limits--such as the melting point of metal--put an absolute limit on the speed of space travel  making trips to even the nearest star all but impossible. Finally  Cromer discusses the deplorable state of science education in America and suggests several provocative innovations to improve high school education  including a radical proposal to give all students an intensive eighth and ninth year program  eliminating the last two years of high school. Uncommon Sense is an illuminating look at science  filled with provocative observations. Whether challenging Thomas Kuhns theory of scientific revolutions  or extolling the virtues of Euclids Elements  Alan Cromer is always insightful  outspoken  and refreshingly original.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44984578179125,"sku":"ByrdShop_0195082133","price":27.53,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780195082135.jpg?v=1770837589","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/uncommon-sense-the-heretical-nature-of-science","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}