Scientific Blunders (Tr)

As a secondary science teacher, and would be philosopher of science, I found Youngson book, "Scientific Blunders" incredibly useful. He addresses areas of science that are not really beyond High School, but his discussions take the mystery out of the "process of science". Beware that if you have an almost religious conviction to the superiority of science, its scope, aim and process, be prepared to lose a little awe, but gain more respect. Philosophers?? Certainly, this is worth the read. It will give you the necessary background when debating your hard science counterparts. Science Majors?? Don't let well organized lectures, and practiced oration fool you. Science does not proceed in such a linear fashion. Scientific Blunders is a necessary read.

The 'Blunders' mentioned in this book are only an excuse to take the reader on an exciting journey through the very broad spectrum of science. You can actually compare this book with a menu card you would get in The Restaurant of Science: a starter of Evolution Theory, a main course of Physics, a slice of Biology and maybe some Technology as a dessert?The common thread through all these chapters -being how wrong things can get- gives the reader an interesting view on what scientific prove actually means. All scientists are humans (we hope...) and this gives rise to emotional arguments popping up from time to time. What happens when you mix these with experimental research has been illustrated in abundance: carelessness, wrong-headedness, arrogance, moral fear or plain bad luck. Fair, not all 'blunders' are worthy of this tag, quite a lot are just as can be expected from a normal struggle for the truth. But still, science would have been far more advanced if these human influences could have been avoided. But isn't this a utopia?Although the title might suggest some humorous content, it certainly does not deliver on these expectations. The tongue-in-cheek approach makes the topics quite more readable, but does not reduce the explanations to kindergarten gibberish. It is true that a few facts are plainly wrong, but the main message of the book doesn't suffer from this.To conclude: it's a nice book intended for a general public and easy to read (I read it on a plane). It lets you browse through popular science in a relaxed manner. Hopefully this will encourage people to dive deeper into the topics they find interesting. But be aware: people who think of science as a sacred institution might get offended by this book.

I suspect many of those who bought this book did so in the hope that it would contain arguments to denigrate science in favor of their own religious/pseudoscientific beliefs. Its effect is just the opposite. It points out clearly that science is a dynamic and testable process that continuously revises and upgrades itself, often to the demise of previously widely subscribed notions where pseudoscience knows no error in itself and thereby is condemned to be erroneous. The author may not be an expert in the details of all the fields he discusses (and who could be?) but his analytic approach is on the mark. It is no wonder that those who are uncomfortable the notion of a changing paradigm are eager to downrate it, they just don't get the point.

Sometimes teachers of science have difficulty interesting students in science, especially if those students have disabilities. This book is a humorous account of theories and belief systems that have been discarded or disproved through the scientific method. Since science is an ongoing experience, many things that we believe now will go on to be disproven or be percieved by future generations as blunders or incredibly naive. It is good for those interested in science to see that scientists, even good ones, are not infallible. It is also helpful to realize that it is through trial and error that correct science understanding and discoveries are made. Unlike some of the other reviewers, as a scientist and an educator, I find it ridiculous to expect everyone view scientists as being in a higher category then everyone else. Students need to understand that mistakes are made in every field and it is through those mistakes that we learn. My only complaint about the book is that it was choppy writing which makes it difficult for learning disabled and those who are deaf or non-native English readers to read this book. Otherwise this very tongue-in-cheek book will be where my students can reach it for their own enjoyment of interesting developments in scientific fields. If mistakes were made, that is up to me the teacher to point that out or for the student to discover on their own as they continue to research what interests them. Karen Sadler, Science Education, University of Pittsburgh

Despite its title, and much of the jacket copy, this is not a catty book that concentrates on human error in order to cut scientists down to size. Instead, it's an illustration of the scientific struggle for truth, and how proper science ultimately arrives at it. In numerous entertaining histories, the author relates the progression of an idea from initial hypotheses, through subsequent discoveries and/or blunders, and finally to current accepted theory. He pays far more attention to the geniuses of science than to the failures. Even most of the blunderers he accords great respect, for making good guesses with the knowledge they had; although there is also a contingent of pig-headed, self-deluding, or theocratic characters.The author is quite knowledgeable about the fields he describes, and the histories are filled with scientific details. It's quite accessible to the general public, though not boring to the educated.