The Pinball Effect

Rating:
Summary: "Pinball" is exactly the point
Review: This latest edition of Mr. Burke's unique perspective of history is aptly named. Unlike his previous, best known works, "Connections" and "The Day the Universe Changed", James Burke does not examine the events bearing on a specific topic indepth. This volume, of 20 chapters, contains a plethora of persons and events in each. It has an exhaustive index of 18 pages and 447 points of reference in the margins. Taking a different literary approach from his previous works, Burke makes his point of the connections between seemingly disjointed and unforeseen events in history remarkably well. Aptly titled "The Pinball Effect" James Burke coherently outlines events leading from one point of reference to a completely unforseen outcome. He does not examine the advent of a specific discovery or human insight exhaustively. In prose style, it is a true outline, giving very brief summaries of the interactions of events and persons. This gives a whirl wind, fast paced tone to the work. Additionally, adding to the the pinball pace of the book, Burke has added to the margins of each page "gateways", cites to other pages in the book, where the event is mentioned. Based on the premise that history can be recorded as timelines, and these timelines invariably cross innumerably, these "gateways," as Burke terms them, show how preceived unrelated events are indeed related. The major premise of this work is that these relationships are impossible to determine contemporaneously and it is only with the benefit of hindsight can the implications be devined. Since knowlege expands exponentially, each new insight building upon the former, and chaotically, with each individual mind developing it's own thought patterns, the possbilities are exhausting. These inexhaustive combinations and the tangentery implications that may be drawn therefrom is the "Pinball Effect." Thus, this departure from Burke's previous approach is well suited to his premise. This work is not a companion book to the television series "Connections 2", although many chapters cover topics of these episodes. In an interview to the Boston Phoenix newspaper, on debute of the "Connections 2" series in 1994, Burke stated that the indepth examination given in the hour long episodes of "Connections" and "The Day the Universe Changed" were not accessible to today's television audience, accustom to soundbite TV. Therefore, "Connections 2" consisted of facer pased, half hour shows. Whether or not this premise is true, "The Pinball Effect" is not a dumbing down of knowleged for the masses by it's outline technique. It is fascinating, fast paced reading as such, but is is also an excellant reference book. Every bookshelf should contain a copy for this reason alone. Almost the whole of Western scientific history and it's impact on society is in this book. The excellant index and bibliography enables one to look up characters and events divergent as: Josiah Wedgwood, Luigi Galvani, Immanual Kant; immigration quota laws, phosphates, and block and tackle systems and thereby guage their time, place and implications. This is not a book to gain indepth knowledge of any particular subject by. It is an excellant overview of the complexity of modern Western history, from the view of a scientific historian, for both the neophyte and the proficient. True to it's name, "The Pinball Effect" takes the reader on a fast and furious ride through the major events of our history, events which are all too often taken for granted. It is highly recommended. Reviewer's note: I've tried to include indentation and line spacing between paragraphs, but they do not seem to show on the screen. If these do not appear, please excuse the inconvenience.