What I Require From Life: Writings on Science and Life From J.B.S. Haldane |  | Creator: Krishna Dronamraju
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Category: Book
List Price: $29.95
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Rating:  1 reviews
Sales Rank: 548992
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 256
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 8.7 x 5.8 x 1.2
ISBN: 0199237700
Dewey Decimal Number: 500
EAN: 9780199237708
ASIN: 0199237700
Publication Date: February 15, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
J. B. S. Haldane (1892-64) was one of the great scientists--and great science writers--of the 20th century. A polymath who was a central figure in the development of modern evolutionary biology, he was also a highly skilled essayist and an extraordinary character--brilliant, witty, idealistic, funny, and pugnacious.
What I Require From Life brings together Haldane's popular science essays, more than sixty articles that reflect not only his masterful ability to communicate scientific understanding, but also his deep commitment to socialism. Readers will find essays on an exhilarating range of topics--"Is There Life on the Planets?" "Is Man a Machine?" "Why are You Left-handed?" "Overcrowding at the Zoo," "How Bees Communicate," "The Common Cold."
Edited with an introduction by Haldane's last graduate pupil, Krishna Dronamraju, this collection of thought-provoking and beautifully-written pieces also comes with a Preface written by the late Sir Arthur C. Clarke, who calls Haldane "perhaps the most brilliant science popularizer of his generation."
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| Customer Reviews:
A great book and a great author. June 19, 2009
C. Schneider (New Jersey)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
For those who appreciate succinct, intelligent science writing, I whole heartedly recommend this book; purchase it before it goes out of print. Before Sir Arthur C. Clarke and Sir David Attenborough, in the middle portion of the Twentieth Century, J. B. S. Haldane was the most versatile and gifted scientist, as well as one of the greatest exponents of scientific thought and knowledge to for the general public that Britain has ever produced. A brilliant research and laboratory scientist, proffessor and author of texts on evolutionary biology, physiology and enzymology, Haldane wrote prolifically and with expertise about subjects pertaining to biology, physiology, astronomy, earth science and the importance of science on modern society. He was also a social critic and devout member of the communist party who spoke to Britain's working class about social change.
What I Require from Life is divided into two sections: Part I is a collection of essays, ranging from relativity theory, why birds sing and the workings of the atom, written when he was still lived and taught in Britain. Partly in protest of the Suez Canal debacle, Haldene moved to India, where he continued teach and write with great clarity and style for the public. Part II is a collection of essays that he composed while living in India, before his death in 1964. These essays addressed a wealth of concepts, such as Indian thought and how it relates to Darwinism. The later writings proved that his faculties never diminishing to the end of his life.
I would consider Haldane to be a genius, both as a scientist and a science writer. Although Isaac Asimov wrote with as much breadth in ideas and style, Haldane was a motive force as an evolutionary scientist, social commentator, writer and even a radio personality, the likes of which we wouldn't see again in decades to come.
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