Gerald Holton

Author of Thematic Origins of Scientific Thought: Kepler to Einstein

56+ Works 610 Members 10 Reviews 1 Favorited

About the Author

Born in Berlin, Germany, Gerald Holton received his Ph.D. in physics from Harvard University in 1946. Shortly afterward, he launched into what has become a major part of his career---directing a well-known program that originally was developed to teach physical science to liberal arts majors at show more Harvard. This program, called Harvard Project Physics, became the model for an ambitious program to teach physics in a similar historical manner in colleges and high schools throughout the United States. Later, Holton used this model in a somewhat different manner, establishing a program for the public understanding of science that eventually grew into a journal, Science, Technology and Human Values. For many years, Holton was a coeditor of Daedalus, the journal of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He has also gained recognition as a biographer of Albert Einstein, and he has worked tirelessly to demonstrate that science requires as much creative imagination as do the arts and humanities. (Bowker Author Biography) show less

Includes the names: Gerald Holton, Gerald Holton, holtongeraldj, Ed. Gerald Holton, Holton Gerald James

Image credit: Gerald Holton

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Works by Gerald Holton

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Thematic Origins of Scientific Thought: Kepler to Einstein (1973) 155 copies, 1 review

Einstein, History, And Other Passions: The Rebellion Against Science At The End Of The Twentieth Century (1995) 83 copies, 1 review

The Scientific Imagination: Case Studies (1978) 52 copies

Science and Anti-Science (1993) 52 copies

Physics, the Human Adventure: From Copernicus to Einstein and Beyond (2001) 30 copies

Einstein for the 21st Century: His Legacy in Science, Art, and Modern Culture (2008) — Editor — 30 copies

Albert Einstein: Historical and Cultural Perspectives (1982) — Editor — 28 copies

The Advancement of Science, and Its Burdens (1986) 28 copies

Introduction to Concepts and Theories in Physical Science (1958) 25 copies

Project Physics (1981) 15 copies

Foundations of Modern Physical Science (1972) 12 copies

Science and Culture: A Study of Cohesive and Disjunctive Forces (1967) 12 copies

Daedalus, Spring 1964: The Woman In America (1964) 7 copies

Daedalus, Fall 1964: Contemporary University: U.S.A (1966) 6 copies, 1 review

Victory and Vexation in Science: Einstein, Bohr, Heisenberg, and Others (2005) 5 copies

The Twentieth-Century Sciences: Studies in the Biography of Ideas (1972) 5 copies

Daedalus, Winter 1965: Science and Culture (1965) 4 copies

Le responsabilità della scienza (1993) 3 copies

Ensayos sobre el pensamiento científico en la época de Einstein (1982) 3 copies

Daedalus, Summer 1961: Evolution and Man's Progress 3 copies

Science en gloire, science en procès (1998) 3 copies

Daedalus, Summer 1958: Symbolism in Religion and Literature 3 copies, 1 review

Daedalus, Winter 1961: The Future Metropolis 3 copies, 1 review

Daedalus, Summer 1963: Themes in Transition (1963) 3 copies, 1 review

Daedalus, Fall 1963: The Professions (1963) 2 copies

Daedalus, Spring 1960: Mass Culture and Mass Media 2 copies

Scienza, educazione e interesse pubblico (1990) 2 copies

Daedalus, Spring 1958: The American National Style 2 copies

Daedalus, Fall 1959: Quantity and Quality 2 copies, 1 review

Daedalus, Winter 1963: The American Reading Public 2 copies

Einstein e la cultura scientifica del XX secolo (1991) 2 copies

A cultura científica e os seus inimigos: o legado de Einstein 2 copies

The Thematic Component in Scientific Thought: Origins of Relativity Theory and Other Essays (The Graduate Journal,… (1973) 1 copy

La lezione di Einstein 1 copy

L'invention scientifique (1982) 1 copy

Daedalus, Summer 1962: Current Work and Controversies 2 1 copy, 1 review

Project Physics Reader: Readings in classical and modern physics (1975) 1 copy

Project Physics Resource Book 1 copy

Daedalus, Winter 1964: A New Europe? 1 copy

Daedalus, Winter 1959: Education in the Age of Science 1 copy

Daedalus, Summer 1964: Population, Prediction, Conflict, Existentialism 1 copy

Daedalus, Spring 1963: Perspectives on the Novel 1 copy, 1 review

Daedalus, Winter 1962: Youth: Change and Challenge 1 copy

Daedalus, Fall 1962: American Foreign Policy: Freedoms and Restraints 1 copy

Daedalus, Fall 1961: Excellence and Leadership in a Democracy 1 copy

Daedalus, Spring 1961: Ethnic Groups in American Life 1 copy

Daedalus, Winter 1960: The Visual Arts Today 1 copy

Daedalus, Fall 1960: Arms Control 1 copy

Daedalus, Summer 1960: The Russian Intelligentsia 1 copy

Daedalus, Summer 1959: Current Work and Controversies 1 copy, 1 review

Daedalus, Spring 1959: Myth and Mythmaking 1 copy

Daedalus, Winter 1958: Science and the Modern World View 1 copy

Daedalus, Fall 1958: On Evidence and Influence 1 copy

Scienza e cultura oggi 1 copy

Scources of Quatum Mechanics 1 copy

A imaginação científica 1 copy

Work Explorer

Associated Works

This Will Make You Smarter: New Scientific Concepts to Improve Your Thinking (Edge Question Series) (2012) — Contributor — 836 copies, 17 reviews

What Is Your Dangerous Idea? Today's Leading Thinkers on the Unthinkable (1914) — Contributor — 644 copies, 8 reviews

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Albert Einstein (5) anthology (9) biography (12) brain (8) cognitive science (5) creativity (6) critical thinking (10) currently-reading (6) ebook (14) Edge (6) Einstein (17) essay (6) essays (41) goodreads (9) history (21) history of physics (6) history of science (42) ideas (19) intellectual history (5) intelligence (8) Kindle (11) natural science (5) neuroscience (8) non-fiction (117) philosophy (77) philosophy of science (15) physics (46) politics (7) popular science (18) psychology (38) read (8) science (198) Science/Technology and Society (10) self-help (19) self-improvement (8) sociology (11) thinking (13) to-read (174) unread (15) wishlist (6)

Common Knowledge

Canonical name: Holton, Gerald
Legal name: Holton, Gerald James
Birthdate: 1922-05-23
Gender: male
Nationality: Germany (birth)
USA
Country (for map): USA
Birthplace: Berlin, Germany
Places of residence: Vienna, Austria
Education: School of Technology, City of Oxford
Wesleyan University
Harvard
Occupations: professor (Harvard University ∙ physics ∙ history of physics)
physicist
Organizations: Harvard University
Awards and honors: Oersted Medal (1980)
Jefferson Lecture (1981)
George Sarton Medal (1989)

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Reviews

Einstein, history, and other passions : the… by Gerald James Holton

"Gerald Holton uses his life and work of our century's greatest scientist to warn against today's gathering Romantic rebellion, one in which soience is blamed for all our social ills, and in which reason is being replaced by New Age "ways of knowing".Through his rich exploration of Einstein's thought, the author shows hoe the best science is indeed the creative expression of the traditions of the Western civilization. Wide-ranging and forceful, This book is a must reading for anyone interested in the place of science in our world."… (more)

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iwb | May 20, 2023 |

THE CONTEMPORARY UNIVERSITY: U.S.A. by Robert S. Morison

12/5/22

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laplantelibrary | Dec 5, 2022 |

Thematic Origins of Scientific Thought: Kepler to…

Andrew Lang, Walter Leaf, Ernest Myers

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cheshire11 | Apr 7, 2021 |

Daedalus: Current Work and Controversies-2, Summer… by Gerald Holton

Reflections on Anti-intellectualism
Realism in 17th Century Dutch Painting
Child and the World Richard Hofstadter
Language and Politics in India Paul Friederich
Hypothesis in Late Medieval...Physics Benjamin Nelson
Philip Frans and his Philosophy of Science

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Jwsmith20 | Mar 10, 2012 |

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