The Scientific Enterprise in America

出版者:University of Chicago Press

作者:Ronald L Numbers

页数:348

出版时间:1996-5-9

价格:GBP 13.50

装帧:Paperback

isbn号码:9780226608389

具体描述

This collection of 16 essays on the history of science in America ranges chronologically from the early 19th century to the 1990s. The essays reflect the scope of the discipline: from the pursuit of science in elite academic, industrial and governmental settings to science at home and in the movies. Such timely issues as women and science, the ethics of science, and the atomic bomb are examined. Contributions include Sally Gregory Kohlstedt, "Parlors, Primers, and Public Schooling: Education for Science in Nineteenth-Century America"; Margaret Rossiter, "Women's Work in Science, 1880-1910"; Philip J. Pauly, "The Development of High School Biology: New York City, 1900-1925"; Susan E. Lederer, "Political Animals: The Shaping of Biomedical Research Literature in 20th-Century America"; Stanley Goldberg, "Inventing a Climate of Opinion: Vannevar Bush and the Decision to Build the Bomb"; Daniel J. Kevles, "The National Science Foundation and the Debate over Postwar Research Policy, 1942-1945: A Political Interpretation of Science The Endless Frontier"; David A. Hollinger, "Science as a Weapon in Kulturkampfe in the United States During and After World War II"; and others. These essays originally were published in "Isis", a publication of the History of Science Society.

用户评价

这本书的阅读体验，很大程度上取决于读者本身对“构建”过程的兴趣程度。如果期待的是一系列突破性的发明时间表，那可能会感到有些失望，因为它更关注的是“谁在制定规则”以及“这些规则是如何被接受的”。作者似乎对科学的“基础设施”——那些默默无闻的管理者、拨款机构的官僚、以及那些影响了同行评审的微妙人际关系——抱有极大的热情。他笔下的科学界，不再是象牙塔中纯粹的头脑风暴现场，而是一个充满了权力博弈、资源竞争与形象塑造的真实社会场域。这种对幕后运作的深度挖掘，为我们理解现代科技的走向提供了全新的参照系。特别是关于学术声誉是如何被量化和资本化的论述，简直可以看作是一部精彩的社会学田野调查报告。它揭示了科学的“魅力”背后，是如何被精心地“管理”和“营销”出来的。

这本书的结构布局精巧得令人称奇，它不像是一部线性发展的编年史，更像是一张错综复杂的网络图谱。作者巧妙地选取了几个贯穿始终的核心概念——比如“标准化”、“专业化”以及“跨学科合作的悖论”——并围绕这些核心概念，穿插讲述了不同领域科学家们的奋斗历程。这种“主题先行，案例支撑”的写法，极大地增强了阅读的节奏感和逻辑的连贯性。即便我并非特定领域的专家，也能清晰地把握住科学范式转移的关键节点。比如，作者在论述特定仪器设备如何定义了新的科学边界时，那种如同电影镜头推拉般的叙述手法，让人印象深刻。他把冰冷的科学工具，赋予了强烈的时代烙印和人性温度。总而言之，这本书在叙事技巧上达到了极高的水准，它证明了严谨的学术研究完全可以通过高超的写作艺术来呈现，让外行人也能领略到科学建构过程中的那种精妙与不易。

我必须承认，这本书的视角是极其大胆且充满挑战性的。作者毫不避讳地揭示了科学进步光环下的阴影，那些被主流叙事常常忽略或美化的部分。他没有采用那种歌颂式的口吻，而是以一种近乎社会批判学家的冷静笔触，审视了科学机构在面对社会压力和政治干预时的妥协与挣扎。特别是关于战争时期科学研究的伦理困境那几章，作者的论述极具穿透力，他没有给出简单的道德裁决，而是展示了在极端环境下，科学家群体内部思想的撕裂与阵营的形成。这种对复杂性的尊重，使得这本书的价值远超一般的科普读物。它迫使读者跳出“科学=进步”的简单二元对立，去思考知识生产的代价和责任。读完后，我感觉自己对“客观性”这个词汇的理解都变得更加审慎和复杂了。对我而言，这更像是一次思想上的深度探险，而不是一次轻松的知识获取之旅。

我得说，这本书的引文和注释部分，本身就是一部独立的宝藏。虽然正文的叙述流畅到让你几乎忘记了它的学术根基，但当你偶尔停下来翻阅那些细致的脚注时，会立刻感受到作者背后付出的巨大努力和扎实的文献功底。那些隐藏在行文之间的历史细节、对早期文献的精妙解读，以及对某一特定术语演变路径的追溯，都展现了作者非凡的学识。这种内敛而深厚的学术支撑，使得全书的论断都显得掷地有声，经得起推敲。它不像某些流行的历史读物那样，为了追求故事性而牺牲了严谨性，而是找到了一个极佳的平衡点——既能让普通读者心甘情愿地读下去，又能让专业人士从中找到值得深思的论据。这本书的“重量感”并非来自篇幅的冗长，而是源于知识密度的饱和。

这本书的叙述方式实在是令人耳目一新，作者似乎有一种魔力，能将原本枯燥的史料和数据编织成引人入胜的故事线。我尤其欣赏他对于不同历史时期科学界内部权力结构演变的细致描摹。比如，书中对20世纪初几所顶尖大学实验室之间微妙的竞争与合作关系的剖析，简直就像一部精彩的室内剧，每个关键人物的动机和决策都被挖掘得淋漓尽致。读到那里，我仿佛能闻到化学试剂的味道，感受到那些学者们深夜在灯下伏案工作的灼热激情。而且，作者没有停留在简单的事件罗列上，而是深入探讨了科学发现背后的社会文化土壤，强调了意识形态如何潜移默化地影响了研究方向的选择与资助的分配。这种宏大叙事与微观人物刻画的完美结合，让整本书读起来既有学术的深度，又不失文学的张力，完全颠覆了我对传统科学史读物的刻板印象。它不是一本用来“查阅”的书，而是一部需要沉浸其中去“体验”的史诗。

A good introductory volume for the history of US with essays selected from ISIS. Organized chronologically, these essays focus on different aspects of science and technology in US. Some viewpoints are out of date, but still good for getting some basic understandings in a variety of topics.

A good introductory volume for the history of US with essays selected from ISIS. Organized chronologically, these essays focus on different aspects of science and technology in US. Some viewpoints are out of date, but still good for getting some basic understandings in a variety of topics.

A good introductory volume for the history of US with essays selected from ISIS. Organized chronologically, these essays focus on different aspects of science and technology in US. Some viewpoints are out of date, but still good for getting some basic understandings in a variety of topics.

A good introductory volume for the history of US with essays selected from ISIS. Organized chronologically, these essays focus on different aspects of science and technology in US. Some viewpoints are out of date, but still good for getting some basic understandings in a variety of topics.

A good introductory volume for the history of US with essays selected from ISIS. Organized chronologically, these essays focus on different aspects of science and technology in US. Some viewpoints are out of date, but still good for getting some basic understandings in a variety of topics.