Michael D. Gordin's Books

How Reason Almost Lost Its Mind

The Strange Career of Cold War Rationality

By: Paul Erickson,Judy L. Klein,Lorraine Daston,Rebecca Lemov,Thomas Sturm,Michael D. Gordin

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How Reason Almost Lost Its Mind

The Strange Career of Cold War Rationality

By: Paul Erickson,Judy L. Klein,Lorraine Daston,Rebecca Lemov,Thomas Sturm,Michael D. Gordin

In the United States at the height of the Cold War, roughly between the end of World War II and the early 1980s, a new project of redefining rationality commanded the attention of sharp minds, powerful politicians, wealthy foundations, and top military brass. Its home was the human sciences—psychology, sociology, political science, and economics, among others—and its participants enlisted in an intellectual campaign to figure out what rationality should mean and how it could be deployed. How Reason Almost Lost Its Mind brings to life the people—Herbert Simon, Oskar Morgenstern, Herman Kahn, Anatol Rapoport, Thomas Schelling, and many others—and places, including the RAND Corporation, the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, the Cowles Commission for Research and Economics, and the Council on Foreign Relations, that played a key role in putting forth a “Cold War rationality.” Decision makers harnessed this picture of rationality—optimizing, formal, algorithmic, and mechanical—in their quest to understand phenomena as diverse as economic transactions, biological evolution, political elections, international relations, and military strategy. The authors chronicle and illuminate what it meant to be rational in the age of nuclear brinkmanship.

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268

Publisher

University of Chicago Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

022604677X

ISBN 13

9780226046778

A Well-Ordered Thing

Dmitrii Mendeleev and the Shadow of the Periodic Table, Revised Edition

By: Michael D. Gordin

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A Well-Ordered Thing

Dmitrii Mendeleev and the Shadow of the Periodic Table, Revised Edition

By: Michael D. Gordin

Dmitrii Mendeleev (1834–1907) is a name we recognize, but perhaps only as the creator of the periodic table of elements. Generally, little else has been known about him. A Well-Ordered Thing is an authoritative biography of Mendeleev that draws a multifaceted portrait of his life for the first time. As Michael Gordin reveals, Mendeleev was not only a luminary in the history of science, he was also an astonishingly wide-ranging political and cultural figure. From his attack on Spiritualism to his failed voyage to the Arctic and his near-mythical hot-air balloon trip, this is the story of an extraordinary maverick. The ideals that shaped his work outside science also led Mendeleev to order the elements and, eventually, to engineer one of the most fascinating scientific developments of the nineteenth century. A Well-Ordered Thing is a classic work that tells the story of one of the world’s most important minds.

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384

Publisher

Princeton University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0691172382

ISBN 13

9780691172385

Einstein in Bohemia

By: Michael D. Gordin

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Einstein in Bohemia

By: Michael D. Gordin

Though Einstein is undoubtedly one of the most important figures in the history of modern science, he was in many respects marginal. Despite being one of the creators of quantum theory, he remained skeptical of it, and his major research program while in Princeton--the quest for a unified field--ultimately failed. In this book, Michael Gordin explores this paradox in Einstein's life by concentrating on a brief and often overlooked interlude: his tenure as professor of physics in Prague, from April of 1911 to the summer of 1912. Though often dismissed by biographers and scholars, it was a crucial year for Einstein both personally and scientifically: his marriage deteriorated, he began thinking seriously about his Jewish identity for the first time, he attempted a new explanation for gravitation-which though it failed had a significant impact on his later work-and he met numerous individuals, including Max Brod, Hugo Bergmann, Philipp Frank, and Arnošt Kolman, who would continue to influence him. In a kind of double-biography of the figure and the city, this book links Prague and Einstein together. Like the man, the city exhibits the same paradox of being both central and marginal to the main contours of European history. It was to become the capital of the Czech Republic but it was always, compared to Vienna and Budapest, less central in the Habsburg Empire. Moreover, it was home to a lively Germanophone intellectual and artistic scene, thought the vast majority of its population spoke only Czech. By emphasizing the marginality and the centrality of both Einstein and Prague, Gordin sheds new light both on Einstein's life and career and on the intellectual and scientific life of the city in the early twentieth century"--

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360

Publisher

Princeton University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0691203822

ISBN 13

9780691203829

Red Cloud at Dawn

Truman, Stalin, and the End of the Atomic Monopoly

By: Michael D. Gordin

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Red Cloud at Dawn

Truman, Stalin, and the End of the Atomic Monopoly

By: Michael D. Gordin

A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITORS' CHOICE Following the trail of espionage and technological innovation, and making use of newly opened archives, Michael D. Gordin provides a new understanding of the origins of the nuclear arms race and fresh insight into the problem of proliferation. On August 29, 1949, the first Soviet test bomb, dubbed "First Lightning," exploded in the deserts of Kazakhstan. This surprising international event marked the beginning of an arms race that would ultimately lead to nuclear proliferation beyond the two superpowers of the Soviet Union and the United States. With the use of newly opened archives, Michael D. Gordin follows a trail of espionage, secrecy, deception, political brinksmanship, and technical innovation to provide a fresh understanding of the nuclear arms race.

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417

Publisher

Macmillan + ORM

Published Date

ISBN 10

142994241X

ISBN 13

9781429942416

Scientific Babel

How Science Was Done Before and After Global English

By: Michael D. Gordin

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Scientific Babel

How Science Was Done Before and After Global English

By: Michael D. Gordin

English is the language of science today. No matter which languages you know, if you want your work seen, studied, and cited, you need to publish in English. But that hasn’t always been the case. Though there was a time when Latin dominated the field, for centuries science has been a polyglot enterprise, conducted in a number of languages whose importance waxed and waned over time—until the rise of English in the twentieth century. So how did we get from there to here? How did French, German, Latin, Russian, and even Esperanto give way to English? And what can we reconstruct of the experience of doing science in the polyglot past? With Scientific Babel, Michael D. Gordin resurrects that lost world, in part through an ingenious mechanism: the pages of his highly readable narrative account teem with footnotes—not offering background information, but presenting quoted material in its original language. The result is stunning: as we read about the rise and fall of languages, driven by politics, war, economics, and institutions, we actually see it happen in the ever-changing web of multilingual examples. The history of science, and of English as its dominant language, comes to life, and brings with it a new understanding not only of the frictions generated by a scientific community that spoke in many often mutually unintelligible voices, but also of the possibilities of the polyglot, and the losses that the dominance of English entails. Few historians of science write as well as Gordin, and Scientific Babel reveals his incredible command of the literature, language, and intellectual essence of science past and present. No reader who takes this linguistic journey with him will be disappointed.

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424

Publisher

University of Chicago Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

022600032X

ISBN 13

9780226000329

Pseudoscience: A Very Short Introduction

By: Michael D. Gordin

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Pseudoscience: A Very Short Introduction

By: Michael D. Gordin

Everyone has heard of the term "pseudoscience>," typically used to describe something that looks like science, but is somehow false, misleading, or unproven. Many would be able to agree on a list of things that fall under its umbrella - astrology, phrenology, UFOlogy, creationism, and eugenics might come to mind. But defining what makes these fields "pseudo" is a far more complex issue. It has proved impossible to come up with a simple criterion that enables us to differentiate pseudoscience from genuine science. Given the virulence of contemporary disputes over the denial of climate change and anti-vaccination movements - both of which display allegations of "pseudoscience" on all sides - there is a clear need to better understand issues of scientific demarcation. Pseudoscience: A Very Short Introduction explores the philosophical and historical attempts to address this problem of demarcation. This book argues that by understanding doctrines that are often seen as antithetical to science, we can learn a great deal about how science operated in the past and does today. This exploration raises several questions: How does a doctrine become demonized as pseudoscientific? Who has the authority to make these pronouncements? How is the status of science shaped by political or cultural contexts? How does pseudoscience differ from scientific fraud? Michael D. Gordin both answers these questions and guides readers along a bewildering array of marginalized doctrines, looking at parapsychology (ESP), Lysenkoism, scientific racism, and alchemy, among others, to better understand the struggle to define what science is and is not, and how the controversies have shifted over the centuries. Pseudoscience: A Very Short Introduction provides a historical tour through many of these fringe fields in order to provide tools to think deeply about scientific controversies both in the past and in our present.

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145

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0190944447

ISBN 13

9780190944445

Five Days in August

How World War II Became a Nuclear War

By: Michael D. Gordin

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Five Days in August

How World War II Became a Nuclear War

By: Michael D. Gordin

Most Americans believe that the Second World War ended because the two atomic bombs dropped on Japan forced it to surrender. Five Days in August boldly presents a different interpretation: that the military did not clearly understand the atomic bomb's revolutionary strategic potential, that the Allies were almost as stunned by the surrender as the Japanese were by the attack, and that not only had experts planned and fully anticipated the need for a third bomb, they were skeptical about whether the atomic bomb would work at all. With these ideas, Michael Gordin reorients the historical and contemporary conversation about the A-bomb and World War II. Five Days in August explores these and countless other legacies of the atomic bomb in a glaring new light. Daring and iconoclastic, it will result in far-reaching discussions about the significance of the A-bomb, about World War II, and about the moral issues they have spawned.

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230

Publisher

Princeton University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0691168431

ISBN 13

9780691168432

The Pseudoscience Wars

Immanuel Velikovsky and the Birth of the Modern Fringe

By: Michael D. Gordin

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The Pseudoscience Wars

Immanuel Velikovsky and the Birth of the Modern Fringe

By: Michael D. Gordin

The Pseudoscience Wars "simultaneously reveals the surprising Cold War roots of our contemporary dilemma and points readers to a different approach to drawing the line between knowledge and nonsense.

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303

Publisher

University of Chicago Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0226304426

ISBN 13

9780226304427

On the Fringe

Where Science Meets Pseudoscience

By: Michael D. Gordin

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On the Fringe

Where Science Meets Pseudoscience

By: Michael D. Gordin

Pseudoscience is not a real thing. The term is a negative category, always ascribed to somebody else's beliefs, not to characterize a doctrine one holds dear oneself. People who espouse fringe ideas never think of themselves as "pseudoscientists"; they think they are following the correct scientific doctrine, even if it is not mainstream. In that sense, there is no such thing as pseudoscience, just disagreements about what the right science is. This is a familiar phenomenon. No believer ever thinks she is a "heretic," for example, or an artist that he produces "bad art." Those are attacks presented by opponents. Yet pseudoscience is also real. The term of abuse is used quite frequently, sometimes even about ideas that are at the core of the scientific mainstream, and those labels have consequences. If the reputation of "pseudoscience" solidifies, then it is very hard for a doctrine to shed the bad reputation. The outcome is plenty of scorn and no legitimacy (or funding) to investigate one's theories. In this, "pseudoscience" is a lot like "heresy": if the label sticks, persecution follows"--

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137

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0197555764

ISBN 13

9780197555767

Pseudoscience: A Very Short Introduction

By: Michael D. Gordin

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Pseudoscience: A Very Short Introduction

By: Michael D. Gordin

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145

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Oxford University Press

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ISBN 10

0190944447

ISBN 13

9780190944445

Five Days in August

How World War II Became a Nuclear War

By: Michael D. Gordin

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Five Days in August

How World War II Became a Nuclear War

By: Michael D. Gordin

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230

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Princeton University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0691168431

ISBN 13

9780691168432

Einstein in Bohemia

By: Michael D. Gordin

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Einstein in Bohemia

By: Michael D. Gordin

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360

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Princeton University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0691203822

ISBN 13

9780691203829

A Well-Ordered Thing

Dmitrii Mendeleev and the Shadow of the Periodic Table, Revised Edition

By: Michael D. Gordin

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A Well-Ordered Thing

Dmitrii Mendeleev and the Shadow of the Periodic Table, Revised Edition

By: Michael D. Gordin

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384

Publisher

Princeton University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0691172382

ISBN 13

9780691172385

Scientific Babel

How Science Was Done Before and After Global English

By: Michael D. Gordin

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Scientific Babel

How Science Was Done Before and After Global English

By: Michael D. Gordin

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424

Publisher

University of Chicago Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

022600029X

ISBN 13

9780226000299

Red Cloud at Dawn

Truman, Stalin, and the End of the Atomic Monopoly

By: Michael D. Gordin

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Red Cloud at Dawn

Truman, Stalin, and the End of the Atomic Monopoly

By: Michael D. Gordin

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Page Count

417

Publisher

Macmillan + ORM

Published Date

ISBN 10

142994241X

ISBN 13

9781429942416

The Pseudoscience Wars

Immanuel Velikovsky and the Birth of the Modern Fringe

By: Michael D. Gordin

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The Pseudoscience Wars

Immanuel Velikovsky and the Birth of the Modern Fringe

By: Michael D. Gordin

The Pseudoscience Wars "simultaneously reveals the surprising Cold War roots of our contemporary dilemma and points readers to a different approach to drawing the line between knowledge and nonsense.

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Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

303

Publisher

University of Chicago Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0226304426

ISBN 13

9780226304427

Book's by Michael D. Gordin

How Reason Almost Lost Its Mind

How Reason Almost Lost Its Mind

A Well-Ordered Thing

A Well-Ordered Thing

Einstein in Bohemia

Einstein in Bohemia

Red Cloud at Dawn

Red Cloud at Dawn

Scientific Babel

Scientific Babel

Pseudoscience: A Very Short Introduction

Pseudoscience: A Very Short Introduction

Five Days in August

Five Days in August

The Pseudoscience Wars

The Pseudoscience Wars

On the Fringe

On the Fringe

Pseudoscience: A Very Short Introduction

Pseudoscience: A Very Short Introduction

Five Days in August

Five Days in August

Einstein in Bohemia

Einstein in Bohemia

A Well-Ordered Thing

A Well-Ordered Thing

Scientific Babel

Scientific Babel

Red Cloud at Dawn

Red Cloud at Dawn

The Pseudoscience Wars

The Pseudoscience Wars

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