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History of science for its own sake?

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Fuller, Steve, 1959-. (2010) History of science for its own sake? History of the Human Sciences, Vol.23 (No.4). pp. 95-99. ISSN 0952-6951

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0952695110372024

Abstract

I see two major themes arising from Mark Erickson’s (2010) provocative question, ‘Why should I read histories of science?’ The first pertains to the apparent failure of historians to address ‘why’ the history has taken the course it has. Although Erickson singles out histories written by professional scientists, it is a question that is also fairly asked of professional historians, who remain sufficiently turned against positivism to prefer micro-contextualisations of the past. The second theme concerns the audience for histories of science. Here I am much less happy than Erickson with Shapin’s (2005) characterisation of how historical writing about science would need to change in order to acquire a wider audience.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	Q Science
Divisions:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Sociology
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Science -- Historiography
Journal or Publication Title:	History of the Human Sciences
Publisher:	Sage Publications Ltd.
ISSN:	0952-6951
Date:	October 2010
Volume:	Vol.23
Number:	No.4
Number of Pages:	5
Page Range:	pp. 95-99
Identification Number:	10.1177/0952695110372024
Status:	Peer Reviewed
Publication Status:	Published
Access rights to Published version:	Restricted or Subscription Access
References:	Agassi, J. (1963). Towards an historiography of science. The Hague: Mouton Bryson, B. (2004). A Short History of Nearly Everything. London: Black Swan. Daston, L. and P. Galison (2007). Objectivity. Cambridge MA: MIT Press. Erickson, M. (2010). ‘Why should I read histories of science?’ History of the Human Sciences… Foucault, M. (1970). The Order of Things (Orig. 1966). New York: Random House. Fuller, S. (1988). Social Epistemology. Bloomington IN: Indiana University Press. Galison, P. (1997). Image and logic: a material culture of microphysics. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Gribbin, J. (2002). Science: a history 1543-2001. London: Penguin. Lakatos, I. (1978). Methodology of Scientific Research Programmes. Cambridge UK: Cambridge University Press. Shapin, S. (2005). ‘Hyperprofessionalism and the crisis of readership in the history of science’. Isis 96(2): 238-243.
URI:	http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/5144