What I Require From Life: Writings on science and life from J.B.S. Haldane 1st Edition by Krishna Dronamraju (PDF)

Description

J. B. S. Haldane (1892-64) was one of the scientific giants of the 20th century. A polymath who made important contributions to sciences ranging from physiology to genetics and biochemistry, he was also a highly skilled writer and an extraordinary character – brilliant, witty, idealistic, funny, and pugnacious.What I Require From Life is a compilation of his popular scientific essays written from the 1940s to last years of his life, that reflect not only his masterful ability to communicate scientific understanding, but also his deep commitment to socialism. The essays included here fall into two groups; those written by Haldane during the 1940s when he embraced Marxism, and those written during his last years in India (1957-64), and they range from An Autobiography in Brief(written three years before his death), to his Marxist view of evolution The Chicken or the Egg? , to his poignant poem Cancer is a Funny Thing.Edited with an introduction by Haldane’s last graduate pupil, Professor Krishna Dronamraju, this collection of thought-provoking and beautifully-written science writing also comes with a Preface written by the late Sir Arthur C. Clarke, who provides a personal perspective on Haldane’s unique place in 20th century science.

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐For those who appreciate succinct, intelligent science writing, I whole heartedly recommend this book; purchase it before it goes out of print. Before Sir Arthur C. Clarke and Sir David Attenborough, in the middle portion of the Twentieth Century, J. B. S. Haldane was the most versatile and gifted scientist, as well as one of the greatest exponents of scientific thought and knowledge to for the general public that Britain has ever produced. A brilliant research and laboratory scientist, proffessor and author of texts on evolutionary biology, physiology and enzymology, Haldane wrote prolifically and with expertise about subjects pertaining to biology, physiology, astronomy, earth science and the importance of science on modern society. He was also a social critic and devout member of the communist party who spoke to Britain’s working class about social change.What I Require from Life is divided into two sections: Part I is a collection of essays, ranging from relativity theory, why birds sing and the workings of the atom, written when he was still lived and taught in Britain. Partly in protest of the Suez Canal debacle, Haldene moved to India, where he continued teach and write with great clarity and style for the public. Part II is a collection of essays that he composed while living in India, before his death in 1964. These essays addressed a wealth of concepts, such as Indian thought and how it relates to Darwinism. The later writings proved that his faculties never diminishing to the end of his life.I would consider Haldane to be a genius, both as a scientist and a science writer. Although Isaac Asimov wrote with as much breadth in ideas and style, Haldane was a motive force as an evolutionary scientist, social commentator, writer and even a radio personality, the likes of which we wouldn’t see again in decades to come.

⭐If you are interested in Haldane this is the book to get. It is a collection of most/all his writings.

⭐Hal Dane was a most remarkable and far sighted eccentric

⭐Part 1: Essays from Marxist Periodcontains 37 essays on topics such as: how to write a scientific article (essay 1) to How we measured the atom (essay 37)Part 2: Essays from the Indian Periodcontains 2o essays dealing with a range of topics from Sputnik, to mines, to stars, and drug-resistant bacteriaThe book is written as a first person account, from Haldane’s life as a scientist, and comes across as an easy to read compilation of essays in science. Highly recommend this for those keen on reading in these areas. Hard to be disappointed.

⭐Haldane’s science writing passes for cutting edge science 4 out if every 5 pages of the book. Maybe this shows my utter ignorance. But as I have several science and engineering degrees, I suspect that what it shows is the brilliance of its author.

⭐A collection of essays from one of the C.20th scientific giants, edited by a former PhD student.The book’s title is from just one essay in the book, and a rather dull one at that (so don’t get hoping for a fix-it manual for your quarter life crisis :D).I enjoyed “The chicken or the egg?” for its bouncy tone mixed with hints of derision (almost “the egg, you fool”).Some essays are outdated, but still interesting for Haldane’s direct and concise style.Haldane’s obsession with Marxism got boring at some point, and almost seemed naive (probably he had a very jolly time visiting the USSR academy of sciences, and his minders did a fine job convincing him all Russians enjoyed a similar lifestyle, but still…)

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