四千年科學(xué)史
《四千年科學(xué)史》是對科學(xué)史的重新刻畫。帕特麗西雅?法拉在書中展現(xiàn)了科學(xué)怎樣總被真實(shí)世界的戰(zhàn)爭、政治和商業(yè)所驅(qū)動(dòng)，并突出了隱藏在抽象理論和神秘實(shí)驗(yàn)背后的辛富而迷人的故事。她沒有把科學(xué)家們頌揚(yáng)為理想化的英雄，而是告訴我們有關(guān)現(xiàn)實(shí)生活中的真實(shí)故事。這些男人們(也有一些女人)需要賺錢生活，同樣會(huì)犯錯(cuò)誤，并且為了取得成功還偶爾排擠對手。
法拉這本書縱掃數(shù)千年，從古巴比倫開始直到最前沿的遺傳學(xué)和粒子物理研究，描述了商業(yè)利益、帝國野心和出版事來已使得科學(xué)在今天變成了強(qiáng)大的全球性現(xiàn)象。她還放眼國際，描述了世界各地的重要科學(xué)成就，從中國到伊斯蘭帝國，以及更為入熟悉的歐洲科學(xué)故事，包括從哥白尼到查爾斯?達(dá)爾文以及其他的著名科學(xué)家。
總之，這四千年的歷史挑戰(zhàn)了科學(xué)至上主義，并論證了科學(xué)的成功不僅因?yàn)樗偸钦_的，而是也因?yàn)槿藗冋J(rèn)為它是正確的。
Patricia Fara is a historian of science at the University of Cambridge. She is a graduate of the University of Oxford and did her PhD at the University of London. She is a former Fellow of Darwin College and is currently a Fellow of Clare College where she is Senior Tutor and Tutor for graduate students. Fara is also a research associate and lecturer in the Department of Histor...
Patricia Fara is a historian of science at the University of Cambridge. She is a graduate of the University of Oxford and did her PhD at the University of London. She is a former Fellow of Darwin College and is currently a Fellow of Clare College where she is Senior Tutor and Tutor for graduate students. Fara is also a research associate and lecturer in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science.[1][2] Fara is author of numerous popular books on the history of science and has been a guest on BBC Radio 4's science and history discussion series, In Our Time. She began her academic career as a physicist but returned to graduate studies as a mature student to specialise in History and Philosophy of Science, completing her PhD thesis at Imperial College, London in 1993.
Her areas of particular academic interest include the role of portraiture and art in the history of science, science in the 18th century England during the Enlightenment and the role of women in science. She has written and co-authored a number of books for children on science. Fara is also a reviewer of books on history of science. She has recently written Science: A Four Thousand Year History (Fara, 2009).[3][4]