BIGYAN ITIHAS O MANUSHER MULYOBODH

BIGYAN ITIHAS O MANUSHER MULYOBODH

Ashish Lahiri

Mid-nineteenth century had brought in the hope that science was set to usher in the golden era of a humane world free from pain and exploitation. But soon it transpired that while scientific truths might be objective, the practice of science was certainly not above imperialist class interests. How then to reconcile science with human values? How then to assert that to lose faith in science is sin? Wise and compassionate scientists never stopped worrying about this crucial question. Great minds such as Joseph Needham, Linus Pauling and Dorothy Hodgkin delved deep into history, philosophy, religion and politics in order to redeem humanity's confidence in science. Each such scientist had to face imperialist persecution and harrassment despite attaining dizzy heights in their respective fields. Each had also to fight against highly talented but tragically paranoid and pro-imperialist scientists such as Edward Teller, for whom finishing off the USSR in a nuclear war was the ultimate idea of peace on earth. This book is a fascinating and inspiring account of that tumultuous struggle involving the two sides of science - the benign and the grotesque, much of it in the scientists' own words translated into Bengali with ample notes and prefaced with knowledgeable introductions. The book takes a fresh look not only at the history of science but at that of the anti-imperialist and anti-fascist struggles of the twentieth century.