Engels' "Dialectics of Nature" and Other Texts on Science: a Reader

A reader comprising an abridged version of Engels "Dialectics of Nature" extracts from "The Anti-Duhring", and a selection of other letters and texts on the subject of science and nature. Engels sets out his faith in the powers of science and technology, his conception of human history as a struggle to control and transform nature, his belief in "dialectical materialism" as the basis of rational and progressive science, his thoughts on new technology and old, and his comments on Darwin, Mendelelev, Edison, Leibig, and others. A long introduction by the French environmental scholar Francois Nectoux explains the enduring relevance of Engels' thought, but is critical of fundamental aspects in relation to contemporary thinking, developments in bio-technology, and the transformation of the environment.