Modern view: a history of science?

[mandril]

Hello everyone:
Im doing a research on the history of "modern" physics theories (namely relativity and quantum) trying to understand its role in a more general historic proceses that gave raise to a whole explostion of cultural development (from psicology, to cinema, with artistic vangards and political changes, philosophical questions and terrible wars in between) in the first decades of the XX century.
It would be of great help if someone could recommend good books on this subject.
Thanks

 

[matt grime]

Alan Sokal. Look him up.

 

[arildno]

Don't fall into the trap of making shallow analogies and false connections.

In the main, science as a discipline&community is self-driven; scientific theory-making is based on insights gained from experiments and the "internal" logic of mathematical expressions.
It is not, to any significant extent, inspired by, dependent upon or developed from contemporary artistic expressions or cultural phenomena.

 

[selfAdjoint]

Don't fall into the trap of making shallow analogies and false connections.

In the main, science as a discipline&community is self-driven; scientific theory-making is based on insights gained from experiments and the "internal" logic of mathematical expressions.
It is not, to any significant extent, inspired by, dependent upon or developed from contemporary artistic expressions or cultural phenomena.

Nor are they developed from or influenced by it. Yet it is remarkable how often they "chime".

 

[arildno]

Well, as I see it, many new artistic expressions DO get their inspiration from breakthroughs in science/ dissemination of scientific knowledge to the general public.
For example, 18th century Enlightenment is unthinkable without the massive success "pure reason" in the person of Isaac Newton had already made.
If Man, by reason alone, could figure out and predict the motion of the heavenly bodies, why should one continue to accept that rational speculation ought to remain bound by religious doctrine on other areas of experience?

Another case in point is "impressionism", a painting tradition that as far as I know got its impetus from insights gained from the neorology of sight.