A review by gijs
Anaximander: And the Birth of Science by Carlo Rovelli

4.0

Refreshing read on the birth pangs of the scientific method through the story of one of its first practitioners; the 6th century BCE (pre-Socratic) philosopher (or scientist? Woe the day these professions were no longer considered as one!); Anaximander. Interesting conjecture thrown in; the adaptation and transformation of the Phoenician alfabet into Greek precipitated and made possible the unrivaled ‘Greek miracle’ of the 5th century BCE in philosophy, science, art by putting a complete phonetic toolbox in the hands of not only the traditional few (kings, priests, scribes) but for the very first time; the many; the prerequisite for free inquiry and critical appraisal of ideas on a societal scale; the essence of both democracy, and science.