Everyone is influenced by the accomplishments, thoughts and beliefs of the generations that preceded them. As Sir Isaac Newton stated “If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants”. The following is a list of the top 10 modern scientists who have influenced my perceptions, ideas and thoughts regarding the universe and our species place within it.
Since you are clearly a fan of history, I hope you'll take a minute to read the essay "Sweetness and Light" in this collection of essays by Stephen Jay Gould. Spoiler alert, he points out that the above quote would have been understood to be a common phrase in the time of Newton, and that's why he himself didn't quote it. My colleague has a poster on her door with this phrase and the Newton attribution, and my skin crawls a little bit every time I walk past.
Here is an image of the stained glass in Chartes Cathedral, which dates from the 12th c. In it, you can see the scholars of the time standing (literally) on the shoulders of giants in order that they perceive the world more wholly.
I will definitely check out that book. To be honest, if there is a gap in my knowledge of the evolutionary literature it would probably be with Stephen J. Gould. I've only read The Mismeasure of Man, which I did enjoy, but it wasn't necessarily a book specifically about evolution.
I've read a lot of Gould. Its well known that he and Dawkins didn't get along scientifically or personally, but they both have a lot to offer. One theme that Gould always comes back to is that evolution lacks direction or progress. I would recommend Full House very highly (but that's because I'm a huge basball fan, and baseball is used as a metaphor for life throughout the book). Mismeasure of Man is more a history book than a biology book, but I think its a great lesson in how sociology can influence scientific results, that "truth" often has as much to do with belief as with data.
For anyone who is interested I've updated the post to include a few suggested readings that weren't linked in the main article:
http://www.theadvancedapes.com/theratchet/2012/11/7/shoulder...
I'll add more tonight when I have more time!
Great list. Love me some Neil deGrasse Tyson. I love his argument for why nuclear technology is a good thing. He simply compared it to metal technology and said 'well, a knife can be made to kill you, but that shouldn't stop us from the benefits of metal'. So right on. I've been hearing about Guns, Germs and Steel since it was published. Will pick it up I think. Not to digress too much, but I just finished reading a book that I recommend for anyone here called At Home by Bill Bryson. The book is an incredibly detailed document on the history of domesticity as it were from the Renaissance to 1900 or so, with particular attention paid to the onset of the industrial age and the year 1850. So while it isn't as theoretical as the list you provided is (i imagine), it is a fascinating read. I guess the reason I bring it up is because of its relationship to anthropology and technology (for example, the book goes into great detail about the cultivation of water, roman bathing habits and how they evolved, and the invention of modern plumbing and also notes that the White House was the first home to have flushing toilets in the U.S.). That was maybe not the most appetizing example. Either way, the book is packed full of stories of a thousand Giants whose shoulders so many of us stand on.
Great recommendation. Bill Bryson was one of the individuals I would have named if I did a top 20 list. A few of his books really interested me a couple years ago. I'll have to pick up At Home.
I remember reading A Brief History of Time when I was 13 years old. Before then I dined on fantasy fare involving swords, magic, wizards, dragons, and the like. So it fit right in, but was cooler, because it was real. It blew my young mind away like no other book has since, or could ever hope to again probably. Besides the quality of the content, it came into a certain time in my life and shattered a paradigm. Pretty much cemented it on a pedestal of influence.
That is a great way to explain what it feels to read something that transforms your entire world view. I had that experience with Guns, Germs and Steel, The Singularity Is Near, Maps of Time and The Ancestor's Tale.
I have to read GG&S. I accidentally bought my father a copy when he already had one. I can grab it any time. The sheer number of times I've seen that book referenced demands it.
Funny how a book being in hard copy form now makes it less likely I will read it...
Also, special thanks to lil for editing this.
Thanks for the shoutout EXCEPT what I sent you was just a hasty glance edit of the most egregious missing apostrophes. Darn, now I'll have to go over it more thoroughly. I'd rather you apply this shoutout to your excellent post about the Voyagers and their contract with Interstellar space.
In any event, it is a great list.
Fyi. If you surround her name with the @ symbol it will shout out to her like this: theadvancedapes. That said, you may already know but have chosen not to.
I feel like I have a lot of little Hubski tricks to learn.
You've just provided me a formidable reading list. I think I'll start with Guns, Germs and Steel as I've heard it referenced often. Thanks for this, it's actually a great post for the non-scientist as it gives us some great starting points to delve in to big topics.
After writing this I realized that it could serve that function. I may edit it to add a few more suggested readings from the people I had to leave off.
Wish you would have posted this a week ago. I have a flight tomorrow morning and could use a new book. Just ordered Guns, Germs and Steel. I look forward to it. I recall b_b mentioning liking it in a comment once.... I think.?
It is definitely a classic. There are a few books that completely change the way you think about life and humanity. For me Guns, Germs and Steel is one of them. And it has definitely stood the test of time. Even though it was first published in 1997, I consider it a 20th century classic.
Agree with this. It is not perfect, but it is a very good "how we got here" exposition. It is bound to give you some new ideas, and that is always good.