[.ca] Galileo's Finger: The Ten Great Ideas of Science (ISBN 0198606648)

From Amazon.co.uk:
These days we have this worryingly facile expectation that everything can be easily explained in 20 seconds or 20 words. Many things, especially those in philosophy and science are not easily explained but are well worth the effort required to understand them. In Galileo's Finger: the Ten Great Ideas of Science, Peter Atkins gives those of us who are not specialist scientists a great opportunity to get to grips with some of the most interesting, important and generally complex scientific concepts which have emerged over the last 500 years or more since modern science began its renaissance. Galileo's Finger covers topics that impact our everyday lives such as evolution by natural selection, inheritance encoded in DNA, the conservation of energy, entropy, the atomic structure of matter, quantum theory, the idea of the expanding universe, spacetime and mathematical reasoning. No doubt some will be disappointed that their favourite concept is not included in Atkins' top ten but as Peter Atkins explains, he focuses on ideas rather than applications; his idea has been to identify the ideas that illuminate and, in most cases, provide the foundation for technological advance, concept-driven rather than tool-driven science. There are diagrams and some formulae but anyone who can text a message on a mobile phone or negotiate the complexities of the English language should get a pretty good idea of these concepts from Galileo's Finger. As with so many things in life, motivation is half the battle. Peter Atkins is very well qualified to write with authority about such a range of topics as he is Professor of Chemistry in the University of Oxford. And because he has written several widely used textbooks on the subject he knows how to explain clearly and engagingly without getting caught up in often misleading analogies as some popular science writers do. It needs confidence in your own grasp of a subject to write straightforwardly about it as Peter Atkins does. For anyone who has always wanted to try and get to grips with some proper understanding of entropy or all those links between DNA, proteins, amino acids, RNA or PCR, here is your chance, but do not expect a quick fix. --Douglas Palmer

Galileo's Finger: The 10 Great Ideas of Science:
Galileo's Finger: The Ten Great Ideas of Science written by Peter Atkins is an excellently written book that gets to the heart of science ideas. "Galileo's Finger" takes us on a journey through the sciences on a broader context and embraces the ten central ideas of current science. There are ten chapters taking us on a challenging but ultimately deeply satisfying journey. Science is the apotheosis of the spirit of the renaissance, an extraordinary monument to the human spirit and the power of comprehension of the puny human brain. This book is highly readable and the author makes the subject matter intelligable to the modest reader, making for an understanding of complex subject matter. The chapters are as follows: Evolution: The Emergence of Complexity DNA: The Rationalization of Biology Energy: The Universalization of Accountancy Entropy: The Spring of Change Atoms: The Reduction of Matter Symmetry: The Quantification of Beauty Quanta: The Simplification of Understanding Cosmology: The Globalization of Reality Spacetime: The Arena of Action Arithmetic: The Limits of Reason There is an epilogue for the future of understanding. The author has written the chapters in a way that you can either read them in order or read them out of order as they are free standing subjects. But, I found that that I could skim read the book and later reread in depth the subjects that piqued my interest. This is an excellent book to be used as a introduction to scientific concepts and puts the reader into a logical approach to the scientific concepts, as you read on you'll find that you'll arrive at an emergence of understanding. This book is written well and the author uses the English language to describe concepts in a way that opens our minds through our eyes of the ways of deep science. Galileo's Finger is a solid 5 star introduction to scientific concepts written in a manor to educate the reader. This book deserves a good read and a place on your bookshelf.

Superb Book:
The author has written the best book of its kind I have ever read - and I've read more than a few! The layout is excellent, the production leaves nothing to be desired, and the prose is both illuminating and charming. If you are looking for a book that will both stimulate and enthrall - you won't go wrong with this one.

Panoramic view of modern science:
This captivating book deals with the ability of the scientific method to explain the wondrous nature of the universe. The author's elegant style, clear explanations and understated humour ensure an engaging read. Atkins has chosen 10 simple concepts of great import that manifest into a giant tree of application. With its patient explanations, it is an excellent guide for the lay reader to become literate in modern sciene. The major insights of modern science discussed here are evolution, DNA, energy, entropy, atoms, symmetry, quanta, cosmology, spacetime and arithmetic. The book includes black and white photographs and illustrations, a bibliography arranged by chapter and an index. Galileo's Finger is the perfect guide for those who wish to understand science more clearly.

Hard going in places:
Some of the press reviews suggest that this is for the general reader. However, even with a degree in Science, I found some the explanations quite hard-going, and I think the general reader might be disappointed or frustrated, hence why I give it 3 rather than 4 stars.

Good Overview of Science:
P.W.(Peter) Atkins is the author of the excellent textbook "Physical Chemistry", "Molecules", a general overview of nature's chemicals from the Scientific American Library, and the imaginative "Periodic Kingdom". In his latest popularization, "Galileo's Finger", Atkins outlines what he considers are the ten central ideas of science. Without bias, he only chooses two from his own area of expertise. The rest are from the realms of biology, physics and astronomy. Given that only two to three of the chapters are part of a high school curriculum, the book is essential reading for anyone who has not studied science past that point. His writing neither oversimplifies nor bores the reader, reminiscent of the way the late Stephen Jay Gould practised his craft. I love Atkins' definition of chemistry, " It is the bridge between the perceived world of substances and the imagined world of atoms."