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The Workshop and the World: What Ten Thinkers Can Teach Us About Science and Authority Hardcover – March 26, 2019

by Robert P. Crease (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 31 ratings
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A fascinating look at key thinkers throughout history who have shaped public perception of science and the role of authority.

When does a scientific discovery become accepted fact? Why have scientific facts become easy to deny? And what can we do about it? In The Workshop and the World, philosopher and science historian Robert P. Crease answers these questions by describing the origins of our scientific infrastructure―the “workshop”―and the role of ten of the world’s greatest thinkers in shaping it. At a time when the Catholic Church assumed total authority, Francis Bacon, Galileo Galilei, and René Descartes were the first to articulate the worldly authority of science, while writers such as Mary Shelley and Auguste Comte told cautionary tales of divorcing science from the humanities. The provocative leaders and thinkers Kemal Atatürk and Hannah Arendt addressed the relationship between the scientific community and the public in in times of deep distrust.

As today’s politicians and government officials increasingly accuse scientists of dishonesty, conspiracy, and even hoaxes, engaged citizens can’t help but wonder how we got to this level of distrust and how we can emerge from it. This book tells dramatic stories of individuals who confronted fierce opposition―and sometimes risked their lives―in describing the proper authority of science, and it examines how ignorance and misuse of science constitute the preeminent threat to human life and culture. An essential, timely exploration of what it means to practice science for the common good as well as the danger of political action divorced from science, The Workshop and the World helps us understand both the origins of our current moment of great anti-science rhetoric and what we can do to help keep the modern world from falling apart.

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  1. Print length
    272 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    W. W. Norton & Company
  4. Publication date
    March 26, 2019
  5. Dimensions
    6.5 x 1.1 x 9.6 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0393292436
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0393292435
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"A masterpiece that explains sophisticated concepts without shortchanging them, and demonstrates 'why the dwindling authority of science' threatens human life. "
― Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"A timely, sophisticated analysis of the plague of science denial, and possible correctives, via an examination of the ideas of ten profound thinkers."
― Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Science is under assault. Crease’s vital new book explains how science acquired its authority, how that authority has benefited us all―and how the seeds of attack came from within science itself. Pulling off such an ambitious enterprise requires the training of a philosopher, the precision of a scientist, and the storytelling chops of a great biographer. Crease has them all."
― Charles C. Mann, author of 1491 and The Wizard and the Prophet

"In this urgent book, Crease shows that there is nothing obvious or inevitable about the social reception of science. Beautifully and clearly written, it is required reading for anyone who cares about the role of science in society."
― Philip Ball, author of Serving the Reich

"Rather than hard-sell current scientific claims to those unlikely to listen, Crease enhances the cultural ‘authority of the workshop’ by showing how science becomes authoritative in the first place. His unique combination of talents and expertise is a benefit to us all."
― Robert C. Scharff, author of How History Matters to Philosophy

"We live in a frightening time of assault on the notion of ‘truth’ and authority. Crease’s historical account of the relationship between the public and the expert sheds important light on our current plight."
― Peter Woit, author of Not Even Wrong

"How to get angry the right way―that is the question motivating Robert Crease’s magisterial account of ten of history’s smartest men and women on the verge of making the world a better place. These brilliant, ambitious, sometimes oddball and often self-destructive thinkers, encountered obstacles the likes of which we are seeing today, as techno-scientific utopias turn into dystopias, irrationality thrives, and science denial grows. Through the lives and thoughts of these indispensable apostles of truth, Crease offers readers a profound meditation about the breaking point of modern civilization."
― Jimena Canales, author of The Physicist and the Philosopher

"An eloquent, timely account of what went right and what wrong in modernity when it comes to the ways in which scientific discoveries and theories were received by contemporaries. In lively recountings of telling episodes, Crease discusses a rich array of figures ranging from Francis Bacon and Galileo to Edmund Husserl and Hannah Arendt. He demonstrates how earlier forms of casting doubt on the authority of scientific findings offer clues to contemporary ways by which this authority is put in question. Speaking forcefully to the present moment, Crease spells out a series of concrete and efficacious steps by which science denial can be addressed and combated in our own time."
― Edward S. Casey, author of The World on Edge

About the Author

Robert P. Crease is the chairman of the philosophy department at Stony Brook University and the author of several books on science, including The Quantum Moment and The Great Equations. He lives in New York City.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ W. W. Norton & Company (March 26, 2019)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0393292436
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0393292435
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.2 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 1.1 x 9.6 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 31 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
31 global ratings
The rise and fall of necromanacy?
1 Star
The rise and fall of necromanacy?
Robert Creases wrote in part two of his introduction, Galileo Galilei and the authority of science, and Eustache Le Sueur's seventeenth century painting called, "The Preaching of Saint Paul." That picture is based upon the Bible, Acts 19:18-19 (NIV) 18. Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. 19. A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. Sorcery: the use of power gained from the assistance or control of evil spirits especially for divining : necromancy/ communication with the dead.Job 26:7 He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing. Job wrote this about 2150 B.C. which is about about 3,772 year gap to a famous 1623 Galileo statement.The Bible never condemns mathematics, doctors, nor geometric shapes, nor learning. Was there anything in his book regarding scientific fallacies such as: phlogiston, abiogenesis, spontaneous generation, and blood letting? I stopped reading because of his biases.
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Top reviews from the United States

MR. S
5.0 out of 5 stars A thought-provoking book on science and authority
Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2019
Verified Purchase
It is a shame that the first comment for this book would be so negative and would, ironically, illustrate the science denial that was the motivation for this book. I found the book to be very thought provoking and was interested to see how the arguments for the importance of science have changed throughout history. I think the book is worth reading if one wants to better understand how science has been promoted and why the authority of science has been challenged since its early days.
3 people found this helpful
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Charles Dinerstein
5.0 out of 5 stars A clarifying look at the denial of Science across time
Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2019
Verified Purchase
I would politely disagree with Mr. Brown. The book is a delight and provides a thought structure to explain the denial of science. Crease makes it clear that the open-ended quality of science, where "settled facts" can always be reconsidered allows for denial to find a home. The battle between the Church and Galileo may be the iconic meme, but the discussion of Ataturk and Arendt show Crease's range of understanding and introduces a more reflective view than your wrong, and I'm right.
8 people found this helpful
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Francis M McCarthy
4.0 out of 5 stars Reads easily
Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2019
Verified Purchase
Very good overview of the period. Especially good on Vico and Comte.
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Brian Burke
5.0 out of 5 stars Critical reading in the development of ideas
Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2020
Verified Purchase
What does it mean to think and understand the world? This is an excellent review of the best most inspiring thinkers who have used human intelligence to achieve a better understanding of the world.

It is an inspiring story of those who fought for the truth and the progress of civilization
One person found this helpful
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Douglas Joslin
3.0 out of 5 stars Politics infects what is otherwise a well written recounting of the development of science
Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2019
The author's nearly fanatical stance on climate change and one sided political attacks on Republicans in the US take away from an otherwise we'll written text on the development of the scientific method and it's effect on human history and society. Climate Change has become a highly charged political issue, and is no longer the dominion of objective and even handed scientists. Real disagreements are possible not only about the type and severity of future effects, but the benefits, costs ,and effectiveness of actions to take.
3 people found this helpful
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Denise
5.0 out of 5 stars Science deniers need to read..
Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2019
but they won't.
You don't have to be a scientist or a philosopher to understand the message in this book. I found the book educational and thought provoking. I also appreciated the personal histories Mr. Crease included for each of the ten thinkers.
3 people found this helpful
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Eric C. Brown
2.0 out of 5 stars self-parody!
Reviewed in the United States on April 8, 2019
This author sets out portraying Galileo as the voice of (pre-) enlightenment skepticism, holding forth against authority (the church) in matters scientific.

This author ends by deploring anyone who will not bow to the authority of the AGW academic-industrial complex by voicing any concerns about the causes, remedies, or self-beggaring of AGW alarmism.

There is no such thing as "settled science", it is an oxymoron. It tuns out, Galileo was wrong more than he was right in many things, but he was a skeptic of the "settled truth." Yet the author wishes to silence any skeptics of his "settled truth".
10 people found this helpful
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J. Bushouse
1.0 out of 5 stars The rise and fall of necromanacy?
Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2019
Robert Creases wrote in part two of his introduction, Galileo Galilei and the authority of science, and Eustache Le Sueur's seventeenth century painting called, "The Preaching of Saint Paul." That picture is based upon the Bible, Acts 19:18-19 (NIV) 18. Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. 19. A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. Sorcery: the use of power gained from the assistance or control of evil spirits especially for divining : necromancy/ communication with the dead.
Job 26:7 He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing. Job wrote this about 2150 B.C. which is about about 3,772 year gap to a famous 1623 Galileo statement.
The Bible never condemns mathematics, doctors, nor geometric shapes, nor learning. Was there anything in his book regarding scientific fallacies such as: phlogiston, abiogenesis, spontaneous generation, and blood letting? I stopped reading because of his biases.
Customer image
J. Bushouse
1.0 out of 5 stars The rise and fall of necromanacy?
Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2019
Robert Creases wrote in part two of his introduction, Galileo Galilei and the authority of science, and Eustache Le Sueur's seventeenth century painting called, "The Preaching of Saint Paul." That picture is based upon the Bible, Acts 19:18-19 (NIV) 18. Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. 19. A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. Sorcery: the use of power gained from the assistance or control of evil spirits especially for divining : necromancy/ communication with the dead.
Job 26:7 He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing. Job wrote this about 2150 B.C. which is about about 3,772 year gap to a famous 1623 Galileo statement.
The Bible never condemns mathematics, doctors, nor geometric shapes, nor learning. Was there anything in his book regarding scientific fallacies such as: phlogiston, abiogenesis, spontaneous generation, and blood letting? I stopped reading because of his biases.
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2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

P Mota
5.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinary writing about one most relevant issue: science and society in a post-truth world
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 14, 2019
Verified Purchase
Crease uses a series of thinkers, mostly philosophers, that were fundamental for the framing of scientific thinking and the mediation of science and society. The biographies are very good. The writing excellent and very clear. The objective is to propose one understanding of why alternative truths, fake news and the like are spreading today and how scientific authority is being challenged. Indeed, science denialism has always been there. What is odd is that it has not gone as societies have become more rational, and political decisions more rationally based. Having a number of leaders of powerful developed countries that are blatantly science denialists is worrying. In the book Crease explains why the nature of scientific enterprise makes it difficult for it be acceptable. It will always be a fight for truth and objectivity.
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