Are Moon Scientists More Interesting Than Moon Rocks?

Reviews the book, The Subjective Side of Science: A Philosophical Inquiry into the Psychology of the Apollo Moon Scientists by Ian I. Mitroff (1974). This book represents an incredible opportunity recognized and seized by Mitroff. Quite elaborate theories of the creation and geological nature of the moon had been in existence for years without any direct examination of materials from the satellite. Thus, the Apollo missions introduced an entirely new source of data--the moon rocks. Mitroff had seized upon an opportunity to construct, with some deliberation, the first primitive before-after experiment in epistemology. This book will argue that if we are to understand the nature of the moon, we must achieve a far greater understanding of our own nature. To be more specific, we must achieve a far greater degree and kind of insight into one of the grandest and most mysterious--and in many ways most frightening--of all of man's creations, science, before we can even pretend to understand an object like the moon. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)