Popular Science Writing: From Dobzhansky to Feynman
 

Carl Zimmer blogged some favorites of science writing by popular request:
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/lo...-reading-list/

The list is unsurprisingly biology heavy and represents writing that is mostly very good and highly influential. It includes Fred Crews' characteristically critical writing in "Saving Us From Darwin," Dobzhansky, Gould, Haldane, Sapolsky, Matt Ridley, Quammen, Oliver Sacks, Richard Feynman, and Lewis Thomas. Many are available free online.

Re: Popular Science Writing: From Dobzhansky to Feynman
 

Todd,

Thanks for letting us know of this. And in a self-manufactured tactic for handling my environment, I "found" this by JBS Haldane, a once-upon-a-time socialist and communist who gave it up, either on the philosophy or on the characters it drew to lead it!

JimB

"To the biologist the problem of socialism appears largely as a problem of size. The extreme socialists desire to run every nation as a single business concern. I do not suppose that Henry Ford would find much difficulty in running Andorra or Luxembourg on a socialistic basis. He has already more men on his pay-roll than their population. It is conceivable that a syndicate of Fords, if we could find them, would make Belgium Ltd or Denmark Inc. pay their way. But while nationalization of certain industries is an obvious possibility in the largest of states, I find it no easier to picture a completely socialized British Empire or United States than an elephant turning somersaults or a hippopotamus jumping a hedge."

More at http://irl.cs.ucla.edu/papers/right-size.html