Since 1888, the magazine of the National Geographic Society has brought the world home to millions of readers through brilliantly vivid photographs, illustrated maps and compelling stories that bring natural history, culture, science and the various regions of the globe to life.
Like that of any human activity, the history of astronomy has been played out under the influence of myriad cultural, institutional, political, sociological, technological, and natural forces. Any history that focuses only on the greatest participants in a field likely misses a great deal of interest and historical value. Inasmuch as astronomy is undertaken by and for human beings, therefore, its history cannot be limited to the lives and achievements of a narrow group.
HISTORY, in the widest usage of the word, is the study of events, the discovery and record of what happens; when we speak of Natural History, for example, we mean nothing less than the study of what goes on in Nature, the world about us. In a rather narrower sense, the "historical" sciences are those in which we cannot make experiments, but are limited to studying what goes on, in that order of time in which things happen to occur.
Greed, Lust and Gender: A History of Economic IdeasWhen does the pursuit of self-interest go too far, lapsing into morally unacceptable behaviour? Until the unprecedented events of the recent global financial crisis economists often seemed unconcerned with this question, even suggesting that "greed is good." A closer look, however, suggests that greed and lust are generally considered good only for men, and then only outside the realm of family life.
Recognition of a biodiversity crisis, and the development of new analytical and geological techniques for studying extinction, have increased our appreciation of global change in recent years. Paul Taylor looks at the implications for plants, animals and microbes, and discusses the role of extinction in evolution. His useful reference brings together key findings from the current debate concerning extinction for students, researchers and the interested general reader.
