Peter Medawar. Pluto’s Republic (1982)

      Peter Medawar. Pluto’s Republic (1982) Medawar belongs to that small group of scientists who can make their arcane arts intelligible to the general reader. He simplifies, but never too much. He can coin the pithy phrase, and has a nice sense of irony, as well as the courtesy to assume a similar sense in his readers. Pretty well all these essays are occasional pieces, written as lectures or addresses or for publication in reviews and other journals. Thus, there is repetition not only of theme but of language, which makes reading the book in one go tedious at times. But on the whole, his essays are a pleasure to read, and his themes need repeating: that science depends as much on imagination and inspiration as on logic and reason; that any speculation must be tested by against observation and experiment; that much nonsense clothes itself in the garments of science; and that science is too important to be left to scientists. He clearly thinks that the ordinary citizen not only needs but deserves to have broad understanding of how science works, of what science has achieved, and of science’s benefits and dangers. His book helps achieve that end. *** to **** (2004)