5 Greatest Science Books Of All Time

The literature masterpieces that you must study

Jan 4 · 6 min read

I have been an avid reader of scientific and mathematical literature ever since I was a kid. My enthusiasm and interest in science and scientific history were somehow initiated by some amazing science books that my father bought me during school. Many science books are published every year with new and new topics and explanations of scientific disciplines. There are some books, however, which have left their marks in the field of scientific literature in terms of detailing, scientific accuracy, people’s interest, and academic significance. In this article, I shall talk about five books that are considered to be the topmost important literature pieces in the history of science.

On The Origin Of Species

Darwin laid the foundations of evolutionary biology by publishing this classic that sparked controversy in science, religion, and society as a whole. The book was published in published on 24 November 1859 and is considered to be one of the most important scientific works of literature of all time. The book was written for non-specialist readers and attracted widespread interest upon its publication. Darwin was already highly regarded as a scientist, so his findings were taken seriously and the evidence he presented generated scientific, philosophical, and religious discussion.

The most important science book of all time. Darwin revolutionized our understanding of life, the relationship of humanity to all creatures in the world, and the mythological foundation of all religions.
— geneticist Lee M. Silver, Princeton University

Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica

Sir Isaac Newton (1642–1727) not only proposed the law of gravity and the three laws of motion but is also credited with creating calculus. During the eighteenth century, the Principia was also seen as putting forward a world view directly in opposition to the broadly Cartesian world view that in many circles had taken over from the Scholastic world view during the second half of the seventeenth century. The work was published first on 5 July 1687. After annotating and correcting his personal copy of the first edition, Newton published two further editions, during 1713 with errors of the 1687 corrected, and an improved version[6] of 1726. Book I and Book II of Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica deal with mechanics. He began with definitions and axioms of such concepts as force, momentum, and mass, and stated his laws of motion concerning inertia, acceleration, reciprocal action, and reaction and universal gravitation: the foundation of classical dynamics. In Book III, he used the mathematical principle of the earlier books to ‘demonstrate the frame of the system of the world’.

You don’t have to be a Newton junkie like me to really find it gripping. I mean how amazing is it that this guy was able to figure out that the same force that lets a bird poop on your head governs the motions of planets in the heavens? That is towering genius, no?
— psychiatrist Richard A. Friedman, Cornell University

A Brief Vistor Of Time

A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes is a book on theoretical cosmology by English physicist Stephen Hawking. It was first published in 1988. Hawking wrote the book for readers who had no prior knowledge of physics and people who are interested in learning something new about interesting subjects. In the ten years since its publication in 1988, Stephen Hawking’s classic work has become a landmark volume in scientific writing, with more than nine million copies in forty languages sold worldwide. Hawking once reportedly mentioned,

I had not expected ‘A Brief History of Time’ to be a best seller. It was my first popular book and aroused a great deal of interest. Initially, many people found it difficult to understand. I therefore decided to try to write a new version that would be easier to follow.

In this masterpiece, he explores profound questions such as: How did the universe begin — and what made its start possible? Does time always flow forward? Is the universe unending — or are there boundaries? Are there other dimensions in space? What will happen when it all ends? I had read this book when I was in 7th standard and was one of my first scientific reads. The book got me hooked and kickstarted my enthusiasm for science and scientific literature.

Cosmos

Cosmos is one of the bestselling science books of all time. In clear-eyed prose, Sagan reveals a jewel-like blue world inhabited by a life form that is just beginning to discover its own identity and to venture into the vast ocean of space. The concepts are simple for anybody to understand. Still, I believe it is a must-read, even for people who have vast exposure and background in science, especially if they want to rekindle their love for the discipline. Cosmos utilizes a light, conversational tone to render complex scientific topics readable for a lay audience. On many topics, the book encompasses a more concise, refined presentation of previous ideas about which Sagan had written.

In The New York Times Book Review, novelist James Michener praised Cosmos as

a cleverly written, imaginatively illustrated summary of Sagan’s… ruminations about our universe… His style is iridescent, with lights flashing upon unexpected juxtapositions of thought.

Physica (Physics)

Aristotle opened the door to the empirical sciences, in contrast to Platonism’s love of pure reason. You cannot overestimate his influence on the West and the world.
- bioethicist Arthur Caplan, University of Pennsylvania

The Physics is composed of eight books, which are further divided into chapters. It was published by Aristotle (circa 330 B.C.) Book I introduces Aristotle’s approach to nature, which is to be based on principles, causes, and elements. Before offering his particular views, he engages previous theories, such as those offered by Melissus and Parmenides. Book II identifies “nature” (physis) as a source or cause of being moved and of being at rest in that to which it belongs primarily. Thus, those entities are natural which are capable of starting to move, e.g. growing, acquiring qualities, displacing themselves, and finally being born and dying.

Aristotle statue by Cipri Adolf Bermann at the University of Freiburg im Breisgau.

The necessary in nature, then, is plainly what we call by the name of matter, and the changes in it. Both causes must be stated by the physicist, but especially the end; for that is the cause of the matter, not vice versa; and the end is ‘that for the sake of which’, and the beginning starts from the definition or essence…
— Aristotle, Physics II

Book III discusses the infinite. He distinguishes between the infinite by addition and the infinite by division, and between the actually infinite and potentially infinite. Book IV discusses the preconditions of motion: place, void, and time. The book starts by distinguishing the various ways a thing can “be in” another. Books V and VI deal with how motion occurs. Book V classifies four species of movement, depending on where the opposites are located. Book VII briefly deals with the relationship of the moved to his mover, which Aristotle describes in substantial divergence with Plato’s theory of the soul as capable of setting itself in motion. Book VIII (which occupies almost a fourth of the entire Physics, and probably constituted originally an independent course of lessons) discusses two main topics, though with a wide deployment of arguments: the time limits of the universe, and the existence of a Prime Mover. This piece of scientific literature is one of the most important works in the history of science.

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