This monumental work was the first full scale attempt to analyse the reciprocal relations of science and society throughout history, from the perfection of the flint hand axe to the hydrogen bomb. In this remarkable study Bernal illustrates the impetus given to (and the limitations placed upon) discovery and inventions by pastoral, agricultural, feudal, capitalist and socialist systems, and conversely the ways in which science has altered economic, social, and political beliefs and practices.
( Volume 1 - The Emergence of Science
Volume 2 - The Scientific and Industrial Revolutions
Volume 3 - The Natural Sciences in Our Time
Volume 4 - The Social Sciences: Conclusion )
