100 books like The Pursuit of Harmony

This book is a pleasure to read as it narrates the interlinks between geography, cosmography, and astronomy in simple language. It takes the reader through an exciting journey from antiquity to the 19th-century developments of astronomy and geography, examining the links and struggles between the sciences and humanities. It exhorts educators and researchers to advocate a truly humanistic science.

It is not surprising that there exists a tension between science, humanities, and other professions today. Astronomy has many narrations of its links to navigation and geography. This book traces these links from antiquity to the 19th century in one place. The quest to map out the stars has not been just for knowledge's sake, after all. 

This book is the result of a collaboration between a professional science journalist and a practicing astronomer. The authors lead us through the research activities of stellar astronomy, reminding us of the questions posed by the scientists at each stage, examining the limitations and the excitement scientists find as they reach their goal, which brings the next question(s), sending the teams on an endless expedition to explore further.  

Quite often, science journalists write on a subject that they are not totally sure of, but they do so as told to them by a science practitioner, who performs many of their chores routinely and does not seek to answer some simple questions.

To me, this book is quite refreshing in that a science journalist who can relate to questions likely to occur to a non-specialist collaborates with an astronomer to whom these questions may not occur. They collaborated, and the result… show more.

This book by a life-long astronomer is a nice, successful attempt to humanize natural philosophers since classical times. It is rare that we find books that dig deeper into the personal struggles, false starts, and wrong conclusions of philosophers (scientists) as they strive at their research incessantly. A recommended read to all astronomy educators and those youth aspiring to unravel the mysteries of the cosmos.

Societies tend to portray high achievers of the past, whether in science, art, or otherwise, as special beings who were infallible genii of their times and that today’s generations may not reach those heights. To me, this is a very negative approach that discourages the youth from striving for higher goals. Prof. Hirshfeld, a career astronomer, does an excellent job of presenting the human faces of the giants of the past.

Science meets Religion and Art is an apt summary of this delightful work of Mendillo, an astronomy professor. In a couple of hundred pages, the author shares his knowledge accumulated over a few decades of his studies by analyzing the centuries of work by astronomers, artists, and theologians. This book would be of interest to practicing astronomers as well as casual stargazers.

Having lived on three continents, I am always fascinated by the way religion and the art that goes with it have influenced societies’ thinking and narratives of stellar objects and cosmology. This influence is reflected in the art and images artists create to express their faith. Professor Mendillo has summarized his decades-long exploration of these connections as found in cathedrals, museums, etc., in this book.

Tyson has done a wonderful job taking over as the layman’s communicator about science after his mentor, Carl Sagan, returned to the stars. This book in particular explains a plethora of scientific questions while showcasing Tyson’s humor and overall science acumen. I enjoy anything he writes and always find his books informative and witty.

This groundbreaking work, published posthumously, is the first attempt to explain consciousness as the product of the evolutionary process. In doing this, Teilhard de Chardin outlines many characteristics of the evolutionary process that have never been described before. It is his effort to unite evolutionary theory, a Marxist view of evolution, and….Christianity.

The final chapter trying to drag Christ into this scientific work did not impress me, but it does not detract from the earlier chapters either.

This is the most important book I have read in five years. Van Sloten helped me see that God reveals himself to me (and you) in “two books”: the Bible and the Creation. I now see that I have not taken this second book seriously enough.

Van Sloten uses the lens of science to probe more deeply into understanding our God. Through a deeper understanding of radiation therapy, our knee joints, exploring a giant squid, and seeing God’s beauty in DNA repair mechanisms, among other topics, we can learn and experience so much more about our God.

Knowing God is at the top of my list, and this book shows me how to advance up this pathway. 

This book has long been my go-to guide on all matters related to the relationship between science and religion. Its beauty is that it takes a cool, clear-headed look at the history of a subject that frequently stimulates more heat than light.

It’s now over thirty years old but has aged extremely well–certainly better than I have! I still find it illuminating on episode after episode. The connections are subtle and complex; Brooke never allows us to settle for comfortable simplicity. 

The previous two authors, van Inwagen and Steward, are libertarians: they believe free will exists and is incompatible with determinism (so determinism is false).

List, on the other hand, is a compatibilist: he believes free will exists and is compatible with determinism (so determinism might be true). This is a view that has surprising few book-length defenses, and List takes up that challenge with characteristic thoughtfulness and rigor.

The devotional book, Indescribable, is engaging way to show kids how our world (science) and God are connected in the most wonderful way.

Including a Bible verse, nonfiction information, a closing prayer and a “Be Amazed” sidebar, topics include space, earth, and animals. For example, after quoting Isaiah, “He calls the stars by name,” the author gives facts about the stars. Then Mr. Giglio says “But do you know what’s even more astonishing and wonderful?

That same God who knows the stars’ names also knows your name.” What a great introduction to God’s world from a Biblical perspective for 6-10-year-olds.