Friday, February 24, 2012

Science & technology in Europe's rich history

Science and technology in Europe has not developed in seclusion from the general context of changes ( and continuities ) in its civilizational history. Norman Davis' Europe : A History ( Oxford, 1998 ) offers just such an useful guide in one ('fairly thick') volume for those who, after seeing the trees, want to take a look at the wood in order to broaden their understanding as well as contextualise their specialised fields of knowledge. In spite of the current financial crisis, economic disstress and social tension, the scientific culture and technological base in the motherland of Western civilization on earth are still pretty admirable.