The Norton History of the Environmental Sciences (The Norton History of Science) - Softcover

Bowler, Peter J.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0393310426 ISBN 13: 9780393310429

Publisher: W W Norton & Co Inc, 1993

Synopsis

Traces the history and development of geology, geography, ecology, evolutionary theory, and other disciplines, from the ancient and medieval worlds to the present

About this title

From Library Journal:

Most of this history focuses on two trends: the narrowing of scientific specialties, from the natural philosophy of the Greeks to the fragmented, discrete disciplines of the modern era; and the struggle between materialists (exemplified by Darwin) and advocates of more spiritualistic interpretations of life (exemplified by Lamarck). Beginning with Greek and Medieval natural science, this book examines how biology gradually split from philosophy and became a distinct field with subspecialties. It covers 19th-century natural science so exhaustively that, by comparison, it glosses over contemporary developments in earth and natural sciences and barely discusses the scientific study of pollution and resource management. It also concentrates primarily on Western science, ignoring the development of environmental science in non-Western, non-Christian cultures. Although the most important scientific figures and their theories are included in both the text and the 42-page bibliographic essay, the writing is tedious and repetitive. Because no better histories are available, however, academic libraries will have to settle for this one. This book and The Norton History of Chemistry , reviewed below, are the first two titles in a planned ten-volume series.--Ed.-- Laurie Tynan, Montgomery Cty.
Norristown P.L., Pa.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: W W Norton & Co Inc
• Publication date: 1993
• ISBN 10: 0393310426
• ISBN 13: 9780393310429
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 634