Alan Lightman and Martin Rees’s book, The Shape of Wonder: How Scientists Think, Work, and Live (2025), explores the human aspects of scientists, detailing their inspirations, backgrounds, and non-science passions, which help to humanize them. It highlights the persistence and enthusiasm scientists demonstrate in the face of repeated failures, offering encouragement to those in scientific fields enduring challenging experiments.
The book also addresses the growing tide of anti-science sentiment, characterized by fact-free policy-making and attacks on scholars and institutions. This anti-science environment threatens the credibility of scientific work and promotes an authoritarian agenda, undermining the positive contributions science makes to society. The authors argue that while liberal democracy is vital in resisting tyranny, scientists tend to focus primarily on their research rather than advocacy.
The Shape of Wonder counters the negative stereotypes of scientists by providing personal biographies of figures like John Mather and Barbara McClintock. It illustrates the joy and passion that drive scientists, revealing their motivations as rooted in curiosity rather than ego or self-interest.
The book suggests that compelling narratives and trust in scientists are crucial for maintaining the credibility of scientific findings. Ultimately, it presents scientists as dedicated individuals striving to improve the world rather than enemies of the public. Lightman and Rees effectively remind readers that the essence of science is a deeply human pursuit.
