The Rise of Science

The author is Canadian, obtained a B.Sc in Engineering Physics at Queen’s University in Canada and a Ph.D in Astrophysics at the University of Sydney in Australia, and spent most of his career as a senior scientist at the European Southern Observatory (ESO), based in Munich. He has authored or co-authored over 250 scientific papers, edited six books on astronomy and astrophysics, and written the book Cosmic Heritage: Evolution from the Big Bang to Conscious Life, published in 2011. His scientific interests have ranged from our galaxy to distant quasars and the reionization of the universe. A member of various international organizations and committees, he served as President of the International Astronomical Union’s Division on Galaxies and the Universe and was instrumental in the establishment of Europe’s participation in the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) project. Now retired, he and his Australian wife split their time between Sydney, Toronto and Europe, and he devotes himself to broadening his horizons in science, in the process having written this book.

1. Introduction.- 2. A Brief History.- 3. Roads to Knowledge.- 4. Science Today.- 5. Into the Future.- Epilogue.- Further Reading.- Acknowledgements.- Name Index.- Subject Index.

"The Rise of Science provides an important contribution in how scientists of the past, present, and future have generated knowledge across the full spectrum of scientific fields. ... this short volume offers a veritable smorgasbord of factors that motivate scientists, all of which warrant further examination and development." (Frederick R. Davis, The Quarterly Review of Biology, Vol. 94 (4), December, 2019)
"This book delivers a magnificent, outstanding and informative understanding of the evolution of science. ... As well as being a comprehensive history of science, this is a well-written and very readable volume, with the author's enthusiasm and authority shining through." (Gerrard Russell, Magonia review of books, pelicanist.blogspot.com, January, 2019)
"I enjoyed reading the book because it allowed me to brush up on the developments which happened as recently during the past 100 years, the lifetime of our parents and ourselves as well as to judge the 'rise of science' from a distant, but highly educated standpoint that allows me to draw my own conclusions. A book that definitely inspires own reflections and expands the horizon." (Joachim J. Kehr, Journal of Space Operations & Communicator, Vol. 16 (1), November, 2018)
"Modern science as we know it owes everything to Greek civilization. ... I can recommend this book as a good read, and it is very useful in that it contains both a subject and a name index." (John Silvester, Odyssey The e-Magazine of the British Interplanetary Society, issue 58, 2019)