Science technology and social change

The success of a book, particularly one that has been written for the Foundation Course, depends on whether it is able to mitigate the unavoidable lob-sidedness of specialisation and evoke in the reader, a questioning attitude, which in the process of its resolution, develops a cultural ethos.

The authors, while writing this book have aimed at these two fundamental objectives. The first one has been tackled by adopting an approach that strikes at the very roots of specialisation-by creating an awareness of the wholeness' of knowledge and its many implications on the social and cultural level. The second objective has been met by an approach that seeks to bring about a sense of an independent inquiry from the reader. This has been achieved, by taking the liberty of stepping outside accepted parameters, and examining concepts and ideas from a different plane of reasoning. This attitude is also reflected in the kind of questions that have been included on each chapter. Many of them have been structured in the form of outstanding statements and observations made by scientists and other thinkers. In place of rigid and conditioned answers, creative and thoughtful solutions are sought from the reader.

The authors would like to be thankful to both, the teachers and the students, for their suggestions and comments regarding the text and the style of the book.