On the Shoulders of Heretics by Joe Fone is a whistle stop tour through the collision between orthodox science and the challengers of recent times, most notably Dr. Immanuel Velikovsky, the controversial scientist who went head-to-head with the scientific establishment headed up by the vicious attacks of Carl Sagan. Velikovsky's story is not unique. The foundations of modern science are thought to be supported by unshakable truths established by the greatest intellects throughout the centuries and, at least for a while, carved in the hard stone of certainty. They are articles of faith from which is derived the basic framework of what we think of as modern 'science'. However, many of these accepted tenets are in reality hypotheses; conjecture developed over time to solve the myriad problems of inscrutability that bedevil our understanding of Nature. They may then become entrenched in mainstream science (or in ancient times, 'natural philosophy') as sacred cows until a heretic overthrows them with an ugly fact and proves them wrong, triggering the wrath of the orthodox establishment.
'Joe Fone puts the Velikovsky Affair in a wider historical context, discussing famous examples of new scientific ideas being ferociously rejected by the orthodox establishments, Galileo being one of the most famous. This book is a very erudite survey which reads like a novel.' Dr Gerrit J. van der Lingen, author of The Fable of a Stable Climate 'The scientific community chose, on one end of the spectrum, to ignore Velikovsky. These were the kinder folks. On the other end were the vicious. It is one thing to disagree, and quite another to lie and attack based on those fabrications. As Velikovsky's grandson, I saw this first-hand. This book, written by Mr. Fone with great compassion and attention to detail, has sparked a tinge of hope that in my lifetime there will be a resurgence of interest in Velikovsky.' Rafael H Sharon, Psychoanalyst Princeton, New Jersey, USA