The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science
by Isaac Asimov · first published 1960
67% recommend33% neutral
Reports on recent advances in the physical and biological sciences to aid the general reader in understanding modern scientific phenomena.
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It's somewhat dated now, but I picked up Isaac Asimov's The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science years ago at an Elk's Club booksale, and it was a fantastic overview of physics and biology, of course from the 1960s perspective in which it was published.
on “Steven Weinberg: Science books for the general reader” ↗It's somewhat dated now, but I loved Asimov's Intelligent Man's Guide to Science[1] when I picked it up at a used book sale in junior high. I felt it was great for putting the history of science in context in a way that I never really got from my actual schooling. Another good one…
on “How to Write the History of Science?” ↗…science output was in a bunch of nonfiction books that I'm not even sure are still in print, and he had a rep for churning out books on every subject at lightning speed, rather than for great insight." The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science (now called Asimov's New Guide To Science) was and is still very highly regarded.
on “How Isaac Asimov shaped robotics and space exploration and predicted the Internet” ↗As a kid, "The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science" by Isaac Asimov. As an adult, "Das Kapital" by Karl Marx.
on “Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?” ↗…alternative exploration of American history from the perspective of ordinary people and marginalized groups rather than from political leaders, emphasizing class struggles and systemic injustices. * "The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science" by Isaac Asimov (1 mention) * Summary: A comprehensive outline of scientific knowledge, covering fields like physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, and earth science. It communicates complex scientific…
on “Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?” ↗…alternative exploration of American history from the perspective of ordinary people and marginalized groups rather than political leaders, emphasizing class struggles and systemic injustices. * "The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science" by Isaac Asimov (1 mention) * Summary: A comprehensive outline of scientific knowledge, covering fields like physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, and earth science. It communicates complex scientific…
on “Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?” ↗…it's just because I started reading his works long after their initial release. In particular, I was quite surprised to later learn that "Asimov's New Guide to Science" was originally published as "The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science".
on “Quanta to publish popular math and physics books by Terence Tao and David Tong” ↗The Intelligent Man’s Guide to Science
on “Does time really flow? New clues from intuitionist math” ↗