Everyday Practice of Science

May 10, 2011 at 1:27 pm | Posted in Competition, Read | 4 Comments
Tags: Book review, competition

There are two similar and well worn phrases which sum this book up perfectly. “Appearances can often be deceiving” and the almost tailor made “Don’t judge a book by its cover” – for within its rather bleak jacket Everyday Practice of Science is an absolute gem. As a welcome antidote to the wiz-bang, techno-babble world of TV forensic dramas, Frederick Grinnell offers a real-life look at the scientific process. He describes how scientists bring their own passion and interest into their work and analyses the relationship between researchers and the wider scientific community.

Grinnell also studies the relationship between science and society and how balancing scientific opportunities with society’s needs depends on a clear understanding of the difference between what science promises and what it can actually deliver.

Importantly, Grinnell focuses on how science is actually done – rather than how science is taught, and as he said: “I describe the everyday practice of science in a fashion that embraces intuition and passion without abandoning objectivity and logic.”

Everyday Practice of Science by Frederick Grinnell, Oxford University Press, 2009, £19

For your chance to win a copy of Everyday Practice of Science just email your name, address and organisation or institution to phil.prime@laboratorynews.co.uk by 27th May.

Or order your copy here.

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