De-centering the ‘Big Picture’: The Origins of Modern Science and the Modern Origins of Science
By Adrew Cunningham and Perry Williams
In this article, the authors look at historical approaches to science. They divide scientific histories into two sorts, those that seek a macro story, and those that focus on more personal experience. The macro version of history attempts to paint broad patterns. Patterns and major milestones dominate the depictions. The micro version of history tends to focus on individual scientist experience and resultant breakthroughs.
The origins of modern science refers to the period of time in seventeenth century Europe commonly referred to as the scientific revolution. The authors note at the macro level historians in general consider areas of:
In the area of modern origins of science focus is more about a plurality of ways to know the world. The is an expression of a transition from considering nature as created by God, to an attempt to understand natural processes.
When the authors speak to de-centering the big picture histories, they note how these histories are often confided to the last 250 years and are Europe and North-America-centric. As opposed to seeking only scientific process knowledge, Cunningham and Williams also stress other sorts of knowledge such as knowledge of fact, technical knowledge, relational knowledge and moral knowledge.
In terms of de-centering, the article does not go on to speak to other scientific, or knowledge centers geographically such as Asia, Africa or South America. The authors also don’t speak to traditional local forms of knowledge such as non-western approaches to medicine. Cunningham and Williams depict science as an invention, or perhaps they might have better stated it as a convention. If this is true, then why only focus on one conventional approach?
By Adrew Cunningham and Perry Williams
In this article, the authors look at historical approaches to science. They divide scientific histories into two sorts, those that seek a macro story, and those that focus on more personal experience. The macro version of history attempts to paint broad patterns. Patterns and major milestones dominate the depictions. The micro version of history tends to focus on individual scientist experience and resultant breakthroughs.
The origins of modern science refers to the period of time in seventeenth century Europe commonly referred to as the scientific revolution. The authors note at the macro level historians in general consider areas of:
- Philosophical - particular method of inquiry to produce general causal laws - mathematical
- Moral - basic values of freedom and rationality, truth and goodness, social and material progress
- Universal human enterprise - human curiosity - new humanism - science as human civilization
In the area of modern origins of science focus is more about a plurality of ways to know the world. The is an expression of a transition from considering nature as created by God, to an attempt to understand natural processes.
When the authors speak to de-centering the big picture histories, they note how these histories are often confided to the last 250 years and are Europe and North-America-centric. As opposed to seeking only scientific process knowledge, Cunningham and Williams also stress other sorts of knowledge such as knowledge of fact, technical knowledge, relational knowledge and moral knowledge.
In terms of de-centering, the article does not go on to speak to other scientific, or knowledge centers geographically such as Asia, Africa or South America. The authors also don’t speak to traditional local forms of knowledge such as non-western approaches to medicine. Cunningham and Williams depict science as an invention, or perhaps they might have better stated it as a convention. If this is true, then why only focus on one conventional approach?
| cunningham_williams.pdf |
RSS Feed