This article presents a comparative analysis of two concepts proposed and developed in two very different areas: the concept of themata, proposed by Gerald Holton in the area of the history of science and related to the processes of production and diffusion of scientific knowledge, and the concept of Pathosformeln, proposed by Aby Warburg in the area of history of art and related to some important historical and epochal continuities of artistic production. Despite the very different disciplinary contexts in which they were proposed, and despite the specificities that naturally ensure the identity of each of the concepts, it is shown in this article how themata and Pathosformeln have undeniable and important affinities. In fact, both correspond to entities that have a long historical persistence, a cyclical nature, and a great disciplinary, cultural and epochal transversality, in conjunction with a great capacity to assume specific forms at a given time and in a given context. Despite the roots in very different areas, the affinities are strong enough to recognize that themata and Pathosformeln belong to a conceptual network with great potential for understanding, not only the science and art, but also the historical and transdisciplinary dynamics of culture in general.
La tesi di dottorato ivi presentata si pone come obbiettivo la ricostruzione come questo sapere scientifico (la scoperta del cambiamento climatico antropico sostanziata dalla comunità scientifica di 190 paesi) ha influenzato la ricerca, la politica e il discorso pubblico nel nostro paese, l'italia. Il titolo è indicativo quando riassuntivo: Il cambiamento climatico in Italia. Istituzioni scientifiche, politica e discorso pubblico (1988-2012). Esso definisce in maniera puntuale i temi che si tratteranno: una genealogia di fenomeni storici, politici, culturali nati in nuce alla scoperta di questo cambiamento che influenzerà in maniera determinante il modo in cui viviamo, l'ambiente intorno a noi, i modelli di sviluppo, la sicurezza del nostro abitare, la forma delle nostre città. In ogni paese questa complessa scoperta ha avuto impatti differenti, un portato differente sulla ricerca e sullo sviluppo economico. Quello che in queste pagine si tenta di analizzare è come l'Italia ha assimilato il discorso del cambiamento climatico , in continua evoluzione date le sue infinite ramificazioni, e come ha reagito a livello politico e di ricerca. ; How we have started talking about climate change? How policies has been shaped? How research has forced institutions and policy makers to act to cut greenhouse emission? The aim of this PhD dissertation is to trace the genealogy of the issue of climate change in Italy, in research institutions, politics and the public discourse. The author will analyze how research on anthropic climate change- related topics has arise, what measure has been taken from italian politicians, what role newspapers have played in forming the public opinion, which role has played the civil society in stressing the relevance of this phenomena. In particular the thesis use the archive of Umberto Colombo, president of ENEA, ministerial documents, and newspapers' archive, to reconstruct the history of science, politics and public discourse from 1998 to 2012. ; No Avalaible
This study about the Philosophical Portuguese Journeys to Brazil aims at expanding the theme of and the approach to the History of Science in Brazil, promoting the debate about how the work on scientific practices, techniques and representations allows the development of teaching methodologies that encompass Brazilian themes in their context. From the gathered sources, obtained from a bibliographical database of travelers, we were able to draw relationship webs linking politicians, drawers, engineers, cartographers, engravers, naturalists and the local population. In order to disclose the data, this gathered material challenged us to think about proposals of biographical writings of travelers within the virtual environment. Such framework allows our work to ensure two scales of importance, i.e., to emphasize the particular role of travelers, demonstrating singularities, and to guarantee the analysis of social contexts via interpersonal relations from a space-time perspective. Within such biographies and elaborating on the hybrid character of the genre, we defined that the formulation of micro-narratives would grant the biographical writing constructed around the travelers. The writing of short texts will basically follow the modal biography, pointing to the network of social relations of the subject, and also by the biographemes, characterized by the production of a momentary biographical impression. Through a non-linear historical process, the biographical writings and the creation of hyperlinks allow the complex nature of the relationships of that period to be reflected in the micro-narratives formulated. ; O presente trabalho sobre as Viagens filosóficas portuguesas ao Brasil no século XVIII tem o objetivo de expandir as temáticas e abordagens da história das ciências no Brasil, abrindo espaço para o debate sobre como o trabalho com as práticas, técnicas e representações científicas possibilita desenvolver metodologias de ensino que abordem temas brasileiros em seu contexto. A partir do material, retirado de um banco de dados biobibliográficos sobre os viajantes, traçamos redes de relações entre políticos, desenhistas, engenheiros, cartógrafos, gravadores, naturalistas e a população local. Para a divulgação dos dados, o material nos desafiou a pensar em propostas de escrita biográfica dos viajantes no ambiente virtual. O espaço permite que o trabalho afiance duas escalas de importância, ou seja, realce o papel particular dos viajantes, demonstrando singularidades, e garanta a análise dos contextos sociais pelas relações interpessoais na perspectiva espaço-temporal. No entremeio dos formatos biográficos e refletindo sobre o caráter híbrido do gênero, definimos que a formulação de micronarrativas asseguraria a escrita biográfica construída sobre os viajantes. A escrita de textos curtos será conduzida especialmente pela biografia modal, apontando as redes de relações sociais do sujeito, e pelos biografemas, caracterizados pela produção de uma impressão biográfica momentânea. Por um processo não-linear da História, a escrita biográfica e a criação de hiperlinks permitem que o caráter complexo das relações do período se reflitam nas micronarrativas formuladas.
The University of Camerino Botany Library was established in 1828 by Vincenzo Ottaviani, founder of the botanical gardens. The library collections have grown over the years thanks to the professors' passion for scientific research, and its history reflects the transformations occurred in the scientific and academic world, the political passions that would have led to revolutions in Europe and the institutional problems of a small Italian university with a rich and complex historical background. By analyzing the library's historical inventory and its collections' development we can catch a glimpse of the feverish scientific spirit of the time – a time of great innovations and knowledge exchange at an international level. ; La Biblioteca di botanica dell'Università di Camerino – nata nel 1828 per volontà di Vincenzo Ottaviani, fondatore dell'Orto botanico – ha visto crescere le sue collezioni coerentemente con gli interessi scientifici dei vari docenti, i mutamenti metodologici nella didattica e nella sperimentazione pratica, le passioni politiche che avrebbero portato alle rivoluzioni in Europa, e i problemi istituzionali di una piccola università italiana dalla storia secolare e complicata. L'analisi dell'inventario storico della Biblioteca, in cui compaiono alcuni testi fondamentali per le scienze naturali acquistati nel corso dell'Ottocento, ha permesso di ripercorrerne la storia e individuarne le linee di sviluppo, del tutto coerenti con le innovazioni scientifiche di quel secolo e con lo scambio internazionale di conoscenza proprio della cultura universitaria.
This essay wishes to debate the concept of History in Karl Marx's work, in opposition to the "end of History" theory proposed by Francis Fukuyama. In a historic setting that involved the end of the communist era in the Soviet Union and in Eastern Europe, the American author introduces his ideas about the victory of liberal democracy being the culminating point in the history of humanity. Well, to what extent is it possible to consider a system like the one advocated by Fukuyama as the ultimate goal of mankind? Furthermore, to what extent can we consider that there actually is a goal that humanity is seeking to achieve? This essay intends to answer these questions through a Marxist understanding of History.
"The interplay between nature, science, and art in antiquity and the early modern period differs significantly from late modern expectations. In this book scholars from ancient studies as well as early modern studies, art history, literary criticism, philosophy, and the history of science, explore that interplay in several influential ancient texts and their reception in the Renaissance. The Natural History of Pliny, De Architectura of Vitruvius, De Rerum Natura of Lucretius, Automata of Hero, and Timaios of Plato among other texts reveal how fields of inquiry now considered distinct were originally understood as closely interrelated. In our choice of texts, we focus on materialistic theories of nature, knowledge, and art that remain underappreciated in ancient and early modern studies even today"--
The research seeks to overcome a science teaching aimed at learning scientific concepts, moving towards an education in science that is critical and connected with modern political issues, towards understanding the nature of scientific work and towards discussions about patriarchy. Based on the recurrence in the literature of Marie Curie as an example of women in science, we developed the research with a view to answering the following question: what conditions enabled Marie Curie to participate in science and how the understanding of these conditions allows discussions in science education about the low numbers of female examples in the history of sciencethe. Answering the question based on references from science education and the historiography of the Cultural History of Science, the results enhance discussions in science education about women's participation in science, promoting critical understandings about science and patriarchy. ; La investigación busca superar una enseñanza de la ciencia orientada al aprendizaje de conceptos científicos, avanzando hacia una educación científica crítica y conectada con las cuestiones políticas modernas, la comprensión de la naturaleza del trabajo científico y la discusión sobre el patriarcado. Partiendo de la recurrencia en la literatura de Marie Curie como ejemplo de mujeres en la ciencia, desarrollamos la investigación con miras a dar respuesta a la siguiente pregunta: qué condiciones permitieron a Marie Curie participar en la ciencia y cómo la discusión de estas condiciones en la educación científica y cómo la comprensión de estas condiciones permite en la educación científica discusiones sobre el bajo número de mujeres en la ciencia. Respondiendo a la pregunta basada en referencias de la educación científica y la historiografía de la Historia Cultural de la Ciencia, los resultados mejoran las discusiones en la educación científica sobre la participación de las mujeres en la ciencia, promoviendo entendimientos críticos sobre la ciencia y el patriarcado. ; A pesquisa ...
L'obiettivo di questo lavoro è (ri)costruire il processo di emergenza del campo di ricerca dei "Science and Technology Studies" (STS) come risultato di una complessa opera di negoziazioni disciplinari. In funzione di questo obiettivo, abbiamo elaborato una metodologia che abbiamo battezzato come "Socio-epistemologia storica". Dal punto di vista storico, questa tesi di dottorato propone una dettagliata ricostruzione del processo di emergenza del campo interdisciplinare degli STS fra gli anni '60 e la metà degli anni '80 (grazie anche a ricerche d'archivio e storia orale). In primo luogo, ci siamo occupati di tracciare alcune traiettorie intellettuali, accademiche e socio-politiche in funzione di una disamina delle condizioni di possibilità dell'emergere di tale campo (fra gli anni '30 e gli anni '60). Nel capitolo seguente abbiamo invece proposto una cartografia dei principali centri di ricerca e programmi pedagogici nei principali casi nazionali come: U.K., U.S., Francia, Repubblica democratica tedesca, Repubblica federale tedesca, Austria, e Paesi Bassi. Infine, un ulteriore capitolo è invece dedicato alla ricostruzione della nascita delle prime reti di ricerca internazionali (società e associazioni professionali) in ambito STS. I risultati di questa ricerca storica sono stati interpretati e organizzati tramite il framework della "sociologia dei campi accademici" e della "sociologia della conoscenza". A completare la nostra disamina, l'approccio filosofico ha reso possibile un'analisi epistemologica basata sui concreti processi storici e sociali di negoziazione disciplinare che hanno reso possibile il programma di ricerca interdisciplinare degli STS. In questo senso, abbiamo sostenuto che le frontiere disciplinari nelle scienze sociali siano al contempo elaborate socialmente, tramite un lungo processo di negoziazione storica, e sulla base di rivendicazioni epistemiche. ; The aim of this work is to (re)construct the emergence process of the "Science and Technology Studies" (STS) field, as a result of broad disciplinary negotiations (especially between history of science, sociology of science and philosophy of science). In order to achieve this, I proposed an integrated methodology that I labelled "Socio-Historical Epistemology". From the historical point of view, my Ph.D thesis provides a detailed survey of the academic emergence of the "STS" interdisciplinary field, from the 60s to the mid 80s (made also through archive research and oral history). First of all, I traced some intellectual, academical and socio-political trajectories, in order to explain the conditions of the emergence of this field (from the 30s to the 60s). In the following chapter I proposed a cartography of the major research units and pedagogical programs in U.K., U.S., France, German Democratic Republic, Federal Republic of Germany, Austria and Netherlands. Finally, another chapter is dedicated to the professional and international societies in STS. The results of this historical inquiry have been interpreted and organised through the framework of the "sociology of scientific fields" and the "sociology of knowledge". Furthermore, the philosophical approach has made possible an epistemological analysis of both the historical and the sociological genesis and development of the interdisciplinary context of research of the "STS". In this sense I argued that disciplinary boundaries in social sciences are, at the same time, diachronically constructed and reconstructed, through a collective process of controversies and negotiations and due to epistemological claims.
