book forum/party: A People's History of Science, Cliff Conner January 26, 2006

In A People?s History of Science, Cliff Conner demystifies science by locating its origins and development in the productive activities of working people. His thesis is that science­the knowledge of nature­did not emerge from the brains of ?Great Geniuses? with ?Great Ideas,? but from the collective experience of working people­artisans, miners, sailors, peasant farmers, and others­whose struggle for survival forced them into close contact with nature on a daily basis. He points out that:
? Medical science began with knowledge of plants? therapeutic properties discovered by preliterate ancient people.
? Chemistry and metallurgy originated with ancient miners, smiths, and potters; geology and archaeology were also born in the mines.
? Mathematics owes its existence and a great deal of its development to surveyors, merchants, clerk-accountants, and mechanics of many millennia.
? The emergence of computer science from the garages and attics of college dropouts demonstrates that even in recent times the most important scientific innovations have not always been produced by a professional scientific elite.
? The mystique of modern science proclaims it to be a superior form of knowledge, but in fact its trustworthiness has been thoroughly undermined by the self-interest of corporations that hire the scientists and manipulate their research findings.

Clifford D. Conner has published a number of articles on the history of science in scholarly journals and has participated in international colloquia on various subjects. Conner worked as a proofreader and taught history in the CUNY system before becoming a full-time author of books on historical subjects.

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