The History of Science: A Comparative Study of Western and Indian Science
Author: Dr. Mahendra R. Awode
Publisher: Dattsons Publishers
ISBN: 978-8171922062
Date: 2021
No. of Pages: 390
Genre: Science
Price: £37.99 / $59.95
Science is about seeking rational explanations of the world. The history of science is a critical narrative of the important scientific events that have taken place from the ancient times to the present. It tells us where the scientific explanation had gone wrong, and how the past mistakes were corrected as the scientific ideas developed, and the experimental techniques modified.
The book aims to address these issues:
1) It gives the idea what mistakes we commit in dealing with science, and how we have been able to overthrow the wrong ideas to be replaced by rational ones, as science evolved.
2) History of Science, like other kinds of Histories of mankind, is a dynamic process, and it takes place from simple notions to complex ones. For example, the Human Genome Project opened up the complexities of inherent transmission of human traits, and it has also opened the field of gene therapy.
3) It is only by understanding the history of science we come to know the basic process of science, and how it advanced by organization and intellectual mutation.
As it is important to know the history of mankind, so it is necessary to know the history of science, for science is an important part of human culture, it gives us deeper insight into the understanding of men and his scientific ideas as they evolved through ages. We may add that if we are blind to our past we are condemned to repeat mistakes.
In this book I have traced the history of Western and Indian science from a very early period, about 3000 years ago up to the beginning of the 21st century. It is hoped that this book will incite the interest of the readers to understand the evolution of science from rudimentary ideas such as those practiced in alchemy and medicine, to the sophisticated and complex ideas in the modern time, not only to understand the world but also to apply them in engineering and biotechnology to solve human problems, most of which are created by irrational public policies.
Dr. Mahendra Awode was born in Raipur, which was then in Madhya Pradesh, in 1946. He migrated with his parents to Nagpur when he was two years old. He studied in St Francis de Sales school, which was then having Senior Cambridge. He did his matriculation from this school in 1965, and BSc from St Francis de Sales College, Seminary Hills Nagpur. He then joined the Post Graduate Teaching Department of Nagpur University as a student, and from there he obtained MSc degree in 1971 and PhD degree in 1982. In 1971 as soon as he earned MSc, he joined Dr Ambedkar College Nagpur as a lecturer in Chemistry.
Later he became Reader and Head of the Department of Chemistry in the same College. While in service, and as a UGC fellow, he joined PGTD, Nagpur University, as a research student for PhD with the guidance of the renowned Physical Chemist Professor M V Kaulgud. Dr Awode earned a PhD, in Solution Chemistry in 1982.
He retired from Dr Ambedkar College in June 2003. He went to France to attend a Conference BioVision held at Lyon and there he took part in an important discussion as a delegate from India. After retirement he continues to write books. He believes in the unity of knowledge and his interest ranges from Philosophy of Science and Religion. He has published a book, The Free Man’s Worship, in which he deals with subjects like the Extinction of Human Race and Wealth Against Nature.
He is influenced by the thoughts of the 20th century philosopher and Winner of Nobel Prize Bertrand Russell, Albert Einstein, Francis Crick and Steven Weinberg. He believes that a democratically elected government should not merely represent the will, but more importantly the wisdom of the people, without which the circumstances may lead to anarchy. This goal of wise government as envisioned by Plato, can be achieved only through good education and free healthcare.
