TY - JOUR
T1 - A Tale of Two Cultures? On the Uses of History in Nineteenth-Century Scientific Practices
AU - Pomata, Gianna
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© Società editrice il Mulino.
PY - 2024/1/1
Y1 - 2024/1/1
N2 - This introductory essay places the articles in this volume within the context of the historiographical debate on the «two cultures» – natural sciences versus history and the humanities. It has been argued that the divide between the two cultures emerged in the nineteenth-century. These essays show that it did not, at least not to the extent that has been commonly assumed. They show that even in the nineteenth century the separation of the epistemic persona of the scientist from that of the historian was far from being firmly established. The essays do this in two ways: one group of articles documents the persistent intertwining of historical and scientific interests in the lives of two prominent positivist intellectuals, Jacob Moleschott and Cesare Lombroso. Another group of essays shows in detail that historical research was still, in this period, part and parcel of the practices of several scientific disciplines, from medicine to botany to engineering.
AB - This introductory essay places the articles in this volume within the context of the historiographical debate on the «two cultures» – natural sciences versus history and the humanities. It has been argued that the divide between the two cultures emerged in the nineteenth-century. These essays show that it did not, at least not to the extent that has been commonly assumed. They show that even in the nineteenth century the separation of the epistemic persona of the scientist from that of the historian was far from being firmly established. The essays do this in two ways: one group of articles documents the persistent intertwining of historical and scientific interests in the lives of two prominent positivist intellectuals, Jacob Moleschott and Cesare Lombroso. Another group of essays shows in detail that historical research was still, in this period, part and parcel of the practices of several scientific disciplines, from medicine to botany to engineering.
KW - history of the «two cultures»
KW - nomographic vs idiographic sciences
KW - uses of history in scientific practices
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U2 - 10.7387/113648
DO - 10.7387/113648
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85196483852
SN - 0392-0011
VL - 51
SP - 5
EP - 16
JO - Annali dell'Istituto Storico Itali-Germanico in Trento
JF - Annali dell'Istituto Storico Itali-Germanico in Trento
IS - 1
ER -