Addressing himself to those considering a life devoted to science, Medawar, a Nobel Laureate, assumes the role of a benevolent counselor in offering advice on establishing good relationships with colleagues and administrators and coping with specialists in the arts and humanities

Advice to a Young Scientist

Medawar, P.B.

Science & Math

Harpercollins Childrens Books

"Science," writes Sir Peter Medawar, "is incomparably the most successful enterprise human beings have ever engaged upon." In this brief, brilliant book the Nobel laureate explores the nature and limitations of scientific pursuit. The three essays included touch on some of the largest questions known to man: Can science determine the existence of God? Is there one "scientific method" by which all the secrets of the universe can be discovered? In "An Essay on Scians" (an early spelling of "science"), Medawar examines the process of scientific inquiry. Debunking the common belief that science is inductively structured, he claims that great leaps of imagination are required to determine the laws of nature and likens the process of scientific hypothesis to the creative acts of poets and artists. The question posed in "Can Scientific Discovery Be Premeditated?" is answered with a firm no. Sir Peter stresses the role of luck in the history of science and cites as examples of un-premeditated discoveries those of X-rays, HLA polymorphism, and the nature of the disease myasthenia gravis. In the title essay, Medawar distinguishes between "transcendent" questions, which are better left to religion, literature, and metaphysics, and questions about the organization and structure of the material universe. With regard to the latter, he concludes, there are no limits to the possibilities of scientific achievement. "This is science's greatest glory," writes Medawar, "for it entails that everything which is possible in principle can be done if the intention to do it is sufficiently resolute and long sustained."

The Limits of Science

History & Philosophy

Harpercollins

Discusses the philosophy of science and the process of scientific discovery, and looks at ethical issues such as genetic engineering, prolonging life through technology, and the role of the physician

The Threat and the Glory: Reflections on Science and Scientists

Life Science

HarperCollins (paper)

Addressing himself to those considering a life devoted to science, Medawar, a Nobel Laureate, assumes the role of a benevolent counselor in offering advice on establishing good relationships with colleagues and administrators and coping with specialists in the arts and humanities

Advice to Young Scientist

An Introduction to immunology

Medical Books

Lance, Eugene Mitchell

Simpson, Edmond

Basic Sciences

McGraw=Hill

The threat and the glory: Reflections on science and scientists

Oxford University Press

The Future of Man: The BBC Reith Lectures 1959 (Routledge Library Editions: Evolution)

Originally published in 1960, The Future of Man is a chronicle of Professor Medwar’s Reith lectures of 1959. The book outlines his predictions about the future estate of man, with the ‘process of foretelling, rather than with what is actually foretold’. He asks, can we predict the future size of populations? What is the evidence and theoretical background for the belief that human intelligence is declining? Could human beings become uniformly excellent or is inborn diversity and inequality a necessary part of the texture of human populations? The lectures tried to answer these questions and attempts to end with a definition of the biological standing of man. This book will be of interest to anthropologists, biologists and natural historians.

Business & Money

Industries

Routledge

Originally published in 1960, The Future of Man is a chronicle of Professor Medwar’s Reith lectures of 1959. The book outlines his predictions about the future estate of man, with the ‘process of foretelling, rather than with what is actually foretold’. He asks, can we predict the future size of populations? What is the evidence and theoretical background for the belief that human intelligence is declining? Could human beings become uniformly excellent or is inborn diversity and inequality a necessary part of the texture of human populations? The lectures tried to answer these questions and attempts to end with a definition of the biological standing of man. This book will be of interest to anthropologists, biologists and natural historians.

The Uniqueness of the Individual (Routledge Library Editions: Evolution)

Originally published in 1957, The Uniqueness of the Individual is a collection of 9 essays published from the ten years preceding publication. The essays deal with some of the central problems of biology. These are among the questions put and answered from the standpoint of modern experimental biology. What is ageing and how is it measured? What theories have been held to account for it, and with what success? Did ageing evolve, and if so how? Is Lamarckism and adequate explanation of evolutionary process? Does evolution sometimes go wrong? Do human beings evolve in a way peculiar to themselves? Other essays touch upon the problems of scientific method and of growth and transformation. This book will be of interest to natural historians, evolutionists and anthropologists.

Health, Fitness & Dieting

Psychology & Counseling

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