A Short History of Nearly Everything
Bryson, Bill. 2004. A Short History of Nearly Everything. Broadway.
Rating:
8
Summary:
Should be titled, “A Brief History of the Major Advances in the Natural Sciences: With Some Interesting Sub-Stories Included to Push the Book Along.”
While the book’s title seems to indicate that it is going to be a history of ‘just about everything,’ in fact, it is only a history of the major scientific advances since the Renaissance. The book does open with a depiction of the Big Bang, which I guess could be considered as taking place before the Renaissance (tongue-in-cheek here folks), and also examines the origins of man and other life on Earth, but it examines all of these theories and ideas in reference to the scientists that proposed them.
The author, while quite well-informed on the topics he addresses, does not address them as a scientist would but rather as a historian. He is not so much interested in the details of the theories as he is in the events surrounding the developments of theories or the finding of elements or fossils. Some of the scientific advances covered in the book include: theories surrounding the origins of man (genus homo), theories surrounding the origins of life (primarily examined through the history of fossil finds and carbon dating), theories about the origins of the universe, and theories about the formation of Earth.
Review:
The book is well-written and engaging, if a bit misleading. I have to admit that, as a social scientist, I was a bit perturbed by the fact that the author failed to mention any of the theories and/or ideas proposed by some of the greatest thinkers of the 19th century (Marx, Durkheim, Weber). Admittedly, the discovery of radiation (Marie Curie) was an important advancement in science, but it was not nearly as influential on the state of humanity in the 20th century as was Marxism (a la U.S.S.R). So, my first criticism of the book is that its choice of topics, especially considering the title, seemed limited very strictly to the natural sciences while overlooking pretty much all of human history (history falls under ‘the humanities’) and the history of the social sciences. As noted above, the book would be better titled, ‘A Brief History of the Major Advances in the Natural Sciences.’
Despite the fact that it missed a lot of history, the book is very engaging. The author has a remarkable ability to detail the lives and findings of scientists who actually made discoveries but never received credit for them, either because they failed to publish them or because someone else stole their work. In fact, many of the sub-stories related by the author surrounding specific advances make up the most appealing parts of this book. I had no idea that Newton was such a strange character nor that his Principia Mathematica was so advanced and influential. According to Bryson’s account, Newton’s mind was so unique that he often would freeze upon getting up in the morning because his mind was so overwhelmed with ideas. Many of these stories are absolutely fascinating and will be very entertaining to those that are familiar with the advances and achievements discussed in the book.
While the book is very entertaining, most well-educated people will not be surprised by or find educational, per se, the scientific information included in the book. There was only one scientific idea discussed that surprised me – the idea that electrons are simultaneously everywhere and nowhere. The author admits that it is very difficult to wrap one’s mind around this idea and perhaps that is why I never understood it this way in high school (the last time I studied atoms in any detail). Nevertheless, I was surprised when he said this and skipped back on the CD to listen to it again to make sure I heard him correctly. I still don’t think I understand it completely, but given that my expertise lies elsewhere, I guess I’ll just have to live with that for now.
Overall, this was an entertaining read even though I was hoping for something else. Of course, to actually cover the history of man – say, from about 4,000 B.C.E. when there is ample information to begin to formulate a relatively understandable picture of what was going on – and histories of the major scientific achievements of man since the Renaissance would require a much larger text. If you approach this book with the understanding that it is only a history of the major scientific advancements since the Renaissance and if you are familiar with many of these advancements but not the specific historical details you will undoubtedly find this book both informative and engaging.
(Note: I listened to this book on CD.)