WHY did the egg definitely come before the chicken, why are migrating fish like operatic heroes and how do you write well about science? This collection of brief and varied pieces by polymath covers everything from town planning to astronomy, climate change to the origins of words and the existence of a fourth dimension.
Haldane鈥檚 sweep is breathtaking and his clarity (as well as some of his dated politics) is reminiscent of Orwell. The pieces, all written for a general audience, never feel forced: they are playful, focusing on the 鈥�glorious uncertainty鈥� waiting to be explored. They invoke a world of half-discovered riches, ready to explode into delight or produce some great and lasting benefit. Haldane鈥檚 passion was based on the conviction that thought and experiment were both practically and imaginatively rewarding. A wonderful collection, giving an infectious idea of the energies and mental joys of a remarkable man.
OUP