The Oxford Book of Modern Science Writing

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Title: The Oxford Book of Modern Science Writing

Editor: Richard Dawkins

Publisher: Oxford Press 2009 (First published 2008)

ISBN: 978-0-19-921681-9

Pages: 395

Oxford and Cambridge University Presses keep the light of literature beaming across the globe like two lighthouses. The histories published by them, particularly Cambridge are the pinnacles of the branch of knowledge. The present book on Modern Science Writing is a compendium of articles on science published during the last century. Compiled and edited by the inimitable Richard Dawkins, the book assumes an aura of authenticity and comprehensiveness. With a fine sieve, Dawkins digs deep into the mountain of literature and comes up with representative samples from the heap. The university has entrusted the job to its own Charles Simonyi Chair of the Public Understanding of Science. He is a fellow of the Royal Society and the Royal Society of Literature. A total of 83 essays from various authors are included in this collection. Translations are avoided as far as possible, but one or two glorious exemptions are also admitted. Great writing by professional scientists was one of the criteria of inclusion, rather than occasional science writing by great writers. The book is a celebration of humanity, its ability to understand nature and its faculty to connect minds even across centuries by the powerful medium of language.

The book is sub-divided into four main sections, What Scientists Study, Who Scientists Are, What Scientists Think and What Scientists Delight In. The first part is the subject matter of science, the second being biographical bits. The third and fourth parts seek to bring out essentials of what the scientists think and delight in. The cross section of what was important in science writing of the last century lies bare before the reader through all these subclasses. We see some really nice reproductions from prominent authors, notable among them being Jared Diamond’s excerpt from Rise and Fall of the Third Chimpanzee and C P Snow’s foreword to G H Hardy’s A Mathematician’s Apology. It narrates how human populations established themselves among the continents and how the demarcations came about between the old and new worlds. The fissure lines lie in geography and pack animals human populations had at their disposal. It may be noted that mankind still employs the animals tamed in prehistoric times for his necessary occupations like transportation and warfare. People of the Old World were handicapped in the sense that they had no horse, or rather, had hunted the primitive horses out to extinction. The newcomers like Cortez and Pizzaro had the continent in their palms due to the fear-evoking presence of the horse. In the second article mentioned above, Snow explains how Hardy came to recognize the talent of a young, partially educated and inexperienced Indian whose letter detailing the mathematical scribblings done during leisure times lay before him – Srinivasa Ramanujan. Though Hardy dismissed the letter as inconsequential, as he often received fantastic claims and theorems proving whole lots of anything, his subconscious mind had identified talent in the scramble which prompted him to reexamine the contents along with a colleagure. The rest is history.

There are some very boring articles as well, to point to all aspects of the book. That on Growth and Form by D’Arcy Thompson is one such. Another are the five pieces from Peter Medawar whom Dawkins holds in high esteem, but the selected works do not justify the praise heaped on him. This does not mean that Medawar’s writing is mediocre – not at all – but that the selection was an unfortunate one. The book, however evenly the editor had wanted to balance the topics, is heavily tilted on the side of biology, which is foreseeable, since Dawkins himself is a biologist. The first section, which deals with subject matter of science is practically replete with biological essays. Also, the wide variety of topics covered make the reading artificial and strained. With absolutely no link between articles, the book assumes the character of a reference title which one uses for browsing selected topics rather than going through cover to cover. In the end, readers feel that Dawkins has wasted a real opportunity with unimpressive selection of content. Several such items are only mediocre in quality.

Dawkins has carefully included writing by Fred Hoyle, who was a professional rival of himself during the campaign against evolution spearheaded by the physicist. The selection is a careful one, which is a work of fiction supporting evolution, before Hoyle changed his mind and came down in esteem of his colleagues. Hoyle turned so nasty against evolution that he even challenged the personal honour of Charles Darwin and the authenticity of the well known fossil of Archeopteryx. Einstein’s essay on Religion and Science is an insightful one, specifically when he counters the falseful assertion of the religious that morality originated with religion. Einstein says, “Science has been charged with undermining morality, but the charge is unjust. A man’s ethical behaviour should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties and needs; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way, if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death” (p.238).

The book is not recommended.

Rating: 2 Star