God’s Philosophers shortlisted for the Royal Society Prize for Science Books

Posted on 2010/08/24 , tagged as

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James Hannam’s God’s Philosophers: How the Medieval World Laid the Foundations of Modern Science has been shortlisted for this year’s prestigious Royal Society Prize for Science Books.

William Hill give the book the best odds of all of the shortlisted titles to win, at 3/1.

The judges said of Hannam’s book: “A vibrant insight into the medieval approach to science, full of wonderful anecdotes and personalities. Dispelling common myths about the ‘dark ages’, this is a very readable book about a neglected era in the history of science. It very much fills a gap, making you realise that the great scientific achievements of the Renaissance are in debt to the “philosophers” prepared to sacrifice long held beliefs and frequently their lives for their ideas.”

See more about the book here, and the Royal Society’s press release is available here. The winner is announced is 21st October and the author of the winning book receives £10,000.