Bad ideas? : an arresting history of our inventions / Robert Winston.

"We are born with the instinct to create and invent. Indeed our ability to do so is what separates us from the rest of the animal world. The moment man first converted a stone to a useful tool set him on a relentless path towards greater power over his environment. But have our creative ideas always...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Winston, Robert M. L.
Language:English
Published: London : Bantam, 2010.
Subjects:
Physical Description:xi, 417 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm
Format: Book

MARC

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049 |a EEMR 
050 4 |a T15  |b .W56 2010 
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100 1 |a Winston, Robert M. L.  |0 http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n85828917 
245 1 0 |a Bad ideas? :  |b an arresting history of our inventions /  |c Robert Winston. 
260 |a London :  |b Bantam,  |c 2010. 
300 |a xi, 417 pages :  |b illustrations ;  |c 25 cm 
336 |a text  |b txt  |2 rdacontent 
337 |a unmediated  |b n  |2 rdamedia 
338 |a volume  |b nc  |2 rdacarrier 
504 |a Includes bibliographical references and index. 
520 1 |a "We are born with the instinct to create and invent. Indeed our ability to do so is what separates us from the rest of the animal world. The moment man first converted a stone to a useful tool set him on a relentless path towards greater power over his environment. But have our creative ideas always produced desirable results in line with their original good intention? Have they always served us well?". 
520 8 |a "Bad Ideas? traces the history of our attempts at self-improvement but also questions their value. The dubious consequences of the development of weaponry, for example, are self-evident. But what of apparently more innocuous advances such as farming, writing or medicine and the harvesting of fire? Science has produced huge good but has also had unforeseen consequences which seem increasingly to threaten our existence. Can science and scientists find solutions to the perils which now menace us?". 
520 8 |a "We join Robert Winston on a thrilling journey from our earliest days to the present, written against a huge historical canvas.We learn about the history of science and engineering, following the unexpected twists and turns of progress. We meet some key individuals along the way and share quirky anecdotes about their lives and brainwaves. Inspiring, unusual and at times controversial, Bad Ideas? assesses the past and looks forward to the opportunities and ethical challenges of the future. 
520 8 |a In so doing it celebrates man's extraordinary capacity for achievement and offers a hopeful way forward to protect humanity against what sometimes seem like bad ideas."--BOOK JACKET. 
583 1 |3 copy1  |a Committed to retain  |c 20200101  |d 20341231  |f MI-SPI  |u http://www.mcls.org/engagement/mi-spi/  |5 MiEM 
650 0 |a Inventions.  |0 http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85067667 
650 0 |a Technology and civilization.  |0 http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85133180 
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952 f f |p Can Circulate  |a Michigan State University-Library of Michigan  |b Michigan State University  |c MSU Main Library  |d MSU Main Library  |t 0  |e T15 .W56 2010  |h Library of Congress classification  |i Printed Material  |m 31293031558517  |n 1