Science for the Citizen by Lancelot HogbenReview by: M. F. Ashley-MontaguIsis, Vol. 31, No. 2 (Apr., 1940), pp. 467-469Published by: The University of Chicago Press on behalf of The History of Science SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/225781 .

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REVIEWS 467

of heat. [The author's statement that NEWTON'S Principia had to wait twenty years for " any adequate recognition " is either ambiguous or erroneous. The first edition was sold in short order. Can Dr. WATSON be referring to NEWTON'S own delay in announcing the law of gravitation ?] He suggests that these instances of neglect partly derive from the social organization of science, involving bureaucratism, and from conceptual fixation, which leads to the rejection of radically new developments without fair consideration.

The varied details of this work defy brief summarization. Dr. WATSON'S theses are partly contained in the following excerpt from his work:

The beliefs, customs, prejudices and institutions of the society all influence the science which it fosters. Science is relative to and therefore dependent on:

(a) The social forces which produce the scientific habits of mind. (b) The social forces which encourage or oppose the scientist in

undertaking his work, (c) The institutions through which he has to work-universities,

laboratories, scientific societies, journals, etc., (d) The operations by which the scientist learns to understand the

relevant achievements of other men, (e) The operations by which he submits his work to the judgment

of others, (f) The operations by which they collectively judge of its value, and (g) The social forces which aid or hinder the proper appreciation

of his work by later generations-when it is no longer new."

These theses are documented in considerable detail.

Partly through the irritant quality of his presentation as well as the "eccentricity " of his views. Dr. WATSON's book becomes literally stimulating. It is likely that no reader will agree with his position in full but it is equally probable that none will leave this work without an enhanced appreciation of problems involved in the organization of scientific activities.

R. K. M.

Lancelot Hogben.-Science for the Citizen. xiII+io82+XIX pp. New York: ALFRED KNOPF, 1938 ($ 5.00).

Before, while, and after reading this book I had the opportunity to peruse with much interest somewhat in the vicinity of a score of reviews of it. I do not, as a purely cautionary practice, place much faith in reviews, not even in my own, for a review is after all merely one man's

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468 ISIS, xxxi, 2

opinion of a book judged by such standards as he has managed to gather to his horizons. I have often found that even the most reliable of reviewers have upon occasion either completely belied the work which they have reviewed, done it scant justice, or judged it uncritically; that is, in my opinion. I speak not only of the reviews which appear in the better literary journals, but also of those which appear in first-rate scientific journals. I have before me at the moment of writing one such scientific journal in which the editor makes a practice of writing virtually all the reviews. Let it suffice to say here that from these reviews it is quite evident that he never reads the books upon which, from the van- tage-point of a complete ignorance of their contents he pronouncesjudgment. But this is, perhaps, an extreme case. The reviews which I have seen of this latest popular work to come from HOGBEN'S pen have unexceptionally been laudatory. The English reviews led me to expect that when at last a copy of Science for the Citizen did reach my hands it would really be a delightful experience. The American reviews were, interestingly enough, a little calmer, though still laudatory. At any rate, when eventually I did get to the book itself and had read the first few score of pages my disappointment was extreme. This feeling of disappointment was not greatly reduced by the time I had arrived at the last pages of this enormous work. What was the reason for my disappointment? Had I been led to expect too much? It is possible. Was the style wrong? No, the style is good. Too many errors of fact? No, there are relatively very few. Then what? Well, I know this: When I was a boy there was a work called The Popular Educator, it was issued in parts (once a month, I think), the complete work formed two volumes, and as I remember it it made much more interesting reading and certainly much easier reading than HOGBEN'S latest volume, and it covered a great deal more ground. My feeling of disappointment is due to the fact that I do not find HOGBEN's book as good as my popular educator was. Undoubtedly HOGBEN'S book is in many ways sounder and certainly more humanely balanced than my educator was. HOGBEN'S emphasis on the historical and social aspects of the subjects with which he deals was absent from my educator, but if I had to choose between my old educator and HOGBEN I would unhesitatingly plumb for the earlier not-so-learned work because it was easier to read and to learn from. Surely, if we are to make science attractive to the citizen, (and it is, of course, open to question whether that is desirable), our first essential must be the realization that our citizen hasn't much time; that what science he is going to acquire in his spare time he will want to acquire as painlessly as possible. This he could have done with my old educator, but with HOGBEN'S book he will have to take a stool

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REVIEWS 469

and apply the seat of his trousers to it very very hard, and concentrate, and furrow his brows, and work, and get a headache because he has tied himself all in knots, and the consequence will be that Science for the Citizen will look very nice on the bookshelf in its pretty jacket, while other things will suddenly occur to our citizen as of more urgent importance while the dust gently gathers upon the blue-black top of science. If this diagnosis is correct then the purpose for which HOGBEN wrote this book is defeated. It is devoutly to be hoped that my diagnosis is incorrect. Let me say only that I found HOGBEN'S book very difficult reading in parts, that without intense application it would be impossible for me to follow many of his arguments and demonstrations, not in the least because they are badly put, but because their very nature is such as to demand real work on the part of the reader unprepared in the particular subject under discussion. I have already indicated that I object to hard work; this, of course, may be a personal idiosyncrasy. Perhaps another eccentricity of mine is a preference for acquiring knowledge in ways which I regard as pleasurable. I find that knowledge so acquired has a habit of remaining with me, whereas knowledge acquired by the sweat of my brow has a habit of evaporating very quickly. But this is perhaps a purely individual matter. I mention it here only as an explanation of my chief objection to HOGBEN'S great book. Maybe it is not an objection at all.

Whatever one may think of the potentially educative effects which the book may exert upon the citizen there can be no two opinions concerning the remarkable achievement that this book represents, it is splendid. The author calls his book a handbook of scientific humanism. I am not sure that it is that, but to conclude this very grudging review I will say this: Anyone who gives this book the attention it deserves will be a great deal better for it.

The line drawings by HORRABIN are excellent, but the half-tones have been very poorly done, which is a great pity. The index is good, and there is a section containing answers to examples. It is a magnificent five dollar's worth, and one of the best examples of good popular science writing-for the educated reader-to have appeared for a long time.

Hahnemann Medical College, M. F. ASHLEY-MONTAGU.

Philadelphia.

W. H. Watson.-On Understanding Physics. XII+I46 p. Cambridge, at the University Press; New York, The Macmillan Company, I938. Price $2.25.

Contemporary physics has stimulated several divergent movements in philosophy of science. It has provided the spring board for leaps

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