Foucault and the “Noble Sciences”

From Aufklärung to “Dignity” in Philosophy

Abstract

“Noble sciences” was a term sometimes used by Michel Foucault to refer mostly to Mathematics and Physics (and, to a lesser extent, Chemistry). This article explores this notion, based on Dits et écrits, understanding that there is a strong connection between this term and a reflection on “enlightenment”, or Aufklärung. But how has this heritage unfolded in our days? We will discuss this theme, advancing to the text “La vie: l’experience et la science”, where another important associated question will appear: how to understand what can give Philosophy “dignity” amid the extension of that Kantian tradition?