A review by miguelf
The Invention of Science: The Scientific Revolution from 1500 to 1750 by David Wootton

3.0

This is a book which I wanted to like and enjoy more, but proved to be such a tedious grind to get through that it took away from what could have been something much more enjoyable. It’s not just that it has a ponderous approach to the topic, but the writing is somewhere between 19th century prose and high academic that deters from any actual pleasure that one might otherwise have had. I kept thinking that if I had been assigned this in a college course setting and been asked to parse out the author’s view of defining a “fact” that it would have been left me despairing. Occasionally there are some very interesting aspects of the development of science and how human’s thought processes developed over time and in the hands of a more approachable author this would definitely make for a much more satisfying read.