Beyond Measure
The Hidden History of Measurement from Cubits to Quantum Constants
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Beyond Measure
Acheter pour 22,26 $
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Narrateur(s):
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James Vincent
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Auteur(s):
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James Vincent
À propos de cet audio
A vibrant account of how measurement has invisibly shaped our world, from ancient civilizations to the modern day.
From the cubit to the kilogram, the humble inch to the speed of light, measurement is a powerful tool that humans invented to make sense of the world. In this revelatory work of science and social history, James Vincent dives into its hidden world, taking listeners from ancient Egypt, where measuring the annual depth of the Nile was an essential task, to the intellectual origins of the metric system in the French Revolution, and from the surprisingly animated rivalry between metric and imperial, to our current age of the "quantified self." At every turn, Vincent is keenly attuned to the political consequences of measurement, exploring how it has also been used as a tool for oppression and control.
Beyond Measure reveals how measurement is not only deeply entwined with our experience of the world, but also how its history encompasses and shapes the human quest for knowledge.
©2023 James Vincent (P)2022 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Booksleft asking myself why indeed do we as a species feel compelled to measure everything? I believe now, that this furthers our connection with the universe and quenches our thirst for knowledge. This is a book for those who are thinkers and the innately curious will enjoy it.
Valerie H.M
A subject worth studying
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Sadly, though some chapters are worthwhile, the overall result is far from rigorous, rather disjointed in fact and at times even rambling. For instance, there is an overdone discussion on the impact of the Jeffersonian grid pattern on the USA West of the Alleghenies. Yet very little is said about how measurements were traditionally made in non-European cultures, for example in China or India.
In the audio version, listeners may find that the narrator at times does not seem to understand what he is saying. It turns out that the book is read out by the author himself, who clearly does not have the training or talent to do so!
Rather Disjointed!
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