Horizons

Horizons: A Global History of Science

A radical retelling of the history of science that challenges the Eurocentric narrative.

We are told that modern science was invented in Europe, the product of great minds like Nicolaus Copernicus, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin and Albert Einstein. But this is wrong. The history of science is not, and has never been, a uniquely European endeavour.

Copernicus relied on mathematical techniques borrowed from Arabic and Persian texts. When Newton set out the laws of motion, he relied on astronomical observations made in India and Africa. When Darwin was writing On the Origin of Species, he consulted a sixteenth-century Chinese encyclopaedia. And when Einstein was studying quantum mechanics, he was inspired by the young Bengali physicist, Satyendra Nath Bose.

Horizons pushes the history of science beyond Europe, exploring the ways in which scientists from Africa, America, Asia and the Pacific fit into this global story. Scientists today are quick to recognise the international nature of their work. In this ambitious and revisionist history, James Poskett reveals that this tradition goes back much further than we think.

Perfect reading for fans of Peter Frankopan's The Silk Roads and Bettany Hughes's Istanbul.

Review: Superb . . . Poskett rightly highlights the shamefully overlooked contributions of Indian, Chinese and Japanese scientists -- Stephen Bleach * Sunday Times *
A fundamental retelling of the story of science . . . Poskett deftly blends the achievements of little-known figures into the wider history of science . . . brims with clarity -- Chris Allnutt * Financial Times *
An honest conversation about the history of science is therefore not just of moral importance - it is part of what makes discovery possible -- Will Dunn * New Statesman *
A lively story of global collaboration in the study of nature from 1500 to the present day . . . rich and lucid -- Dmitri Levitin * Literary Review *
European scientists for centuries served the political goals of empire building, which was based on slave trading, military power, oppression and violence . . . Poskett hopes for a future where the historic truth about how scientific progress has been made is universally accepted, where all cultures are valued, and where global scientific collaboration unleashes the creativity to solve problems such as climate change -- Sean Duke * Irish Times *
Horizons shows that the story of science has always been a planetary one: a non-linear process of cross-fertilisation, competition, cooperation and conflict . . . What makes the book so engrossing is that Poskett's grasp of historical contexts is as firm as his scientific knowledge -- Matthew d'Ancona * Tortoise *
Generation after generation, people in western countries have been educated to believe that the history of modern science began primarily in the 17th century in western Europe. In a book of breathtaking range and high quality, Poskett dismantles that narrow version of events and produces a genuinely global history -- Best Summer Books of 2022: History' * Financial Times *
This treasure trove of a book puts the case persuasively and compellingly that modern science did not develop solely in Europe. Hugely important -- Jim Al-Khalili, author of Paradox
Brilliant . . . In this revolutionary and revelatory book, James Poskett not only gives us a truly worldwide history of science, but explains how international connections have stimulated scientific advances through time -- Alice Roberts, author of Ancestors
Science's internationalism is well recognized. But scientists tend to regard it as a recent phenomenon that arose from the 'big science' of the twentieth century, rather than one with a history of more than 500 years going back to the Islamic science that inspired astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, and beyond, observes historian James Poskett. His revisionary "global history" boldly rebuts this -- Andrew Robinson * Nature *
Poskett's book is invaluable, an important and timely reminder that the world we live in has never been small or unknown, but that sharing knowledge, as well as credit, and working together, is the key to a better future -- Matt Lewis * History Hit *
From palatial Aztec botanic gardens to Qing Dynasty evolutionary theories, Horizons upends traditional accounts of the history of science, showing how curiosity and intellectual exploration was, and is, a global phenomenon -- Rebecca Wragg Sykes, author of Kindred
Remarkable. Challenges almost everything we know about science in the West -- Jerry Brotton, author of A History of the World in 12 Maps
This perspective-shattering book challenges our Eurocentric narrative by spotlighting the work of historically neglected scientists -- Caroline Sanderson * The Bookseller, 'Editor's Choice' *
A useful corrective that brings us closer to a more accurate history of Western science - one which recognises Europe, not as exceptional, but as learning from the world -- Angela Saini, author of Superior
The righting of the historical record makes Horizons a deeply satisfying read. We learn about a fascinating group of people engaged in scientific inquiry all over the world. Even more satisfyingly, Horizons demonstrates that the most famous scientists - Copernicus, Darwin and Einstein among them - couldn't have made their discoveries without the help of their global contacts -- Valerie Hansen, author of The Year 1000
A provocative examination of major contributions to science made outside Europe and the USA, from ancient to modern times, explained in relation to global historical events. I particularly enjoyed the stories of individuals whose work tends to be omitted from standard histories of science -- Ian Stewart, author of Significant Figures
A wonderful, timely reminder that scientific advancement is, and has always been, a global endeavour -- Patrick Roberts, author of Jungle
This is the kind of history we need: it opens our eyes to the ways in which what we know today has been uncovered thanks to a worldwide team effort -- Michael Scott, author of Ancient Worlds
An important milestone * British Journal for the History of Science, on Materials of the Mind *
The freshest history of the strangest science -- Alison Bashford, author of Global Population, on Materials of the Mind
Ambitious, riveting, Poskett tracks the global in so many senses . . . vital reading on some of the most urgent concerns facing the world history of science -- Sujit Sivasundaram, University of Cambridge, on Materials of the Mind