“joseph needham”

SCIENCE / CHINA Many of the world's greatest inventions have their foundation in ancient China. This book shows the true origins of: the decimal system - printing - paper money - the compass the wheelbarrow - the crossbow - the science of immunology porcelain - matches - the rudder - the game of che... More

This volume, which is based on the Terry Lectures delivered at Yale University in 1935, deals with the problem of the unity of natural knowledge. It considers the cleavage between the inorganic and biological sciences, and between the theology of intelligibility and that of inexplicability. Under th... More

The world's preeminent authority on Chinese science explores the philosophy, social structure, arts, crafts, and even military strategies that form our understanding of Chinese science, making instructive comparisons along the way to similar elements of Indian, Hellenistic, and Arabic cultures. A ma... More

Essays on science, religion, and reality by various authors. Contents: Introduction; Magic Science and Religion; Historical relations of religion and science; Science and religion in the nineteenth century, The domain of physical science; Mechanistic biology and the religious consciousness; Sphere o... More

The Gunpowder Epic is one of three planned publications on military technology within Dr Needham's immense undertaking. The discovery of gunpowder in China by the 9th century AD was followed by its rapid applications. It is now clear that the whole development from bombs and grenades to the inventio... More

Digesting the main sections of Volume IV of Dr. Needham's magnum opus, this book is concerned with the immense advances made in early and medieval China in mechanical engineering. It discusses in simple but eminently readable terms the status of engineers, their tools and materials, then basic mecha... More

The fifth volume of the late Dr. Needham's immense undertaking covers the subjects of chemistry and chemical technology. This, the thirteenth part of the volume, is the first history of Chinese mining to appear in a Western language. Spanning from the Neolithic period to the present day, it deals wi... More

Comprehensive historical account of the production and use of iron and steel in China in their political and economic context. An initial chapter on the traditional Chinese iron industry introduces the important technical concepts and the ways in which technology, geography, and economics influence ... More