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This paper deals with Ágnes Heller's suggestion, in A Theory of Modernity (1999), to ascribe to science a central role in the ongoing development of modernity. As we shall argue, this is not merely a historical issue but, rather, a historical-philosophical one that entails the problem of defining modernity, science and technology and their mutual interconnections. As for modernity, according to Heller, it is a free developmental project without any foundations other than freedom itself. In particular, the evolution of science and technology is one of its main developmental tendencies. Science, she argues, has become the dominant world explanation while technological thought is the corresponding dominant (but not unique) imaginary institution. Her attempt to isolate the essential cultural features of science-technology owes much to Habermas's analyses of the 1960s on the technocratic developments of contemporary societies legitimized through an ideological employment of science. Like Habermas, Heller embraces an instrumental and problem-solving conception of technology and 'normal' science which appears questionable, however, in the light of conclusions on the intrinsic creativity of the science-technology interface deriving from historical epistemology and an externalist history of science. Considerations and examples derived from the recent agenda of historical epistemology could integrate Heller's philosophical and cultural analysis of the role of science in modernity while challenging some of her assumptions.

Local politics is not self-contained. The authors break with existing scholarship to argue that the study of local politics requires the systematic study of state legislative politics. The state-local relationship cannot be easily characterized in terms of either interference or deference. Rather, U.S. local government and state politics appear to have been thoroughly intertwined in the period they examine. For evidence, they present a new and systematic data set consisting of all bills affecting local places-6,415 bills-considered by the legislatures of Alabama, Massachusetts, and Michigan for certain years in the period 1871 to 1921.

AbstractBoth Ibn Khaldun and Weber discuss science as a vocation, but their epistemologies go beyond it by incorporating the civilisational dimension. Commonly used as a unit of analysis by classical theorists, the term 'civilisation' has recently been rediscovered in social sciences. It has been argued that the 'epistemological paradigms of civilisations' produced by the mainstream intellectual traditions are fundamental factors shaping the minds of key intellectuals. This article tests this argument by analysing to what extent Ibn Khaldun and Weber's views of knowledge and science are influenced by Islamic and Western epistemological paradigms, respectively. Based on a close and critical reading of their relevant work, it argues that there are some resemblances, but also significant differences, between Ibn Khaldun and Weber, which can indeed be explained with reference to civilisational epistemological paradigms.

In Connect the Dots: The Art and Science of Creating Good Luck, Christian Busch contests the notion of blind luck, arguing that adopting a "serendipity mindset" towards all social and professional interactions can increase the opportunity for serendipitous encounters. Using extensive primary research, Busch presents a lucid and engaging strategy for how to make your own luck, writes Robert … Continued