Transversal: International Journal for the Historiography of Science
type: channel
description: Transversal: International Journal for the Historiography of Science is an open-access semiannual [June and December] online journal published by the Graduate Program in History (Science and Culture in History) of Federal University of Minas Gerais (Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais). Transversal: International Journal for the Historiography of Science promotes scholarly research in the historiography of science and chronicles its history and criticism. Although historiography of science is a sub-discipline of History, we construe this subject broadly to include analysis of the historiography of science produced by history of science, philosophy of science, science education and related disciplines. By focusing its analysis on the different historical, social and epistemological implications of science, historiography of science is a transversal knowledge with respect to the production of science, hence the name of this journal. In order to accomplish its purpose, Transversal: International Journal for the Historiography of Science discusses historical, theoretical, conceptual and methodological aspects of the different themes, works and authors present in this tradition, as well as the new approaches in the recent historiography of science.
publisher: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais
language: en
publication name: Transversal: International Journal for the Historiography of Science
issn: 2526-2270
items: Reply to the Book Review of
items: La Mathématisation du Temps:
items: “Anything Goes” Under the Sky:
items: Michael Scot and the Augustalis Gold Coins
items: Error and the Progress of Science:
items: Farewell to Abundance?
items: Interview:
items: Cosmological Counterinduction:
items: Feyerabend on Mach and Einstein:
items: The Anthropocene Goes
items: Making the Brain, Concealing the Subject:
items: Promises, Unpredictability, and Artificial Positivities:
items: Find Men:
items: Fleck:
items: The Paul K. Feyerabend Foundation:
items: Introduction:
items: In Celebration of Pluralism:
items: Interview: Kapil Raj and Thomás A. S. Haddad
items: Pablo Rubén Mariconda (1949-2025)
items: Suitability of a Historical Research Design in a History Research
items: Constructivism and Historiography of Science in Argentina
items: The Symmetrical Leviathan
items: Leviathan and the Air Pump
items: Modernity Leaks
items: The Social Value of the Trust-Truth Bond in a Post-Truth Era
items: Interview: Simon Schaffer
items: Edgar Zilsel
items: Interview: Steven Shapin
items: The Validity of Leviathan and the Air-Pump
items: Forty Years of Leviathan and the Air-Pump and the Horizons of a Transnational Historiography of Science

Reply to the Book Review of
type: item
description: Reply to the Book Review of La Mathématisation du Temps: De La Science Hellénistique à La Science Moderne
subject: Book Reviews
  topic: section
subject: History of Sciences
  topic: keywords
subject: History and Philosophy of Science
  topic: keywords
subject: History and Philosophy of Science
  topic: disciplines
creator: Jean-Pierre Castel
creator: Jean-Claude Simard
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Jean-Pierre Castel, Jean-Claude Simard https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
date: 2025-12-27
publication date: 2025-12-27
doi: 10.24117/2526-2270.2025.i19.11

La Mathématisation du Temps:
type: item
description: Book Review: Castel, Jean-Pierre & Simard, Jean-Claude. (2024). La Mathématisation du Temps : De la Science Hellénistique à la Science Moderne. Vrin / Presses de l’Université Laval. Collection Zêtêsis. 551 pages.
subject: Book Reviews
  topic: section
subject: Jean-Pierre Castel
  topic: keywords
subject: Jean-Claude Simard
  topic: keywords
subject: History and Philosophy of Science
  topic: disciplines
creator: João F. N. B. Cortese
creator: Murtaza Chopra
creator: Philippe Debroise
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 João F. N. B. Cortese, Murtaza Chopra, Philippe Debroise https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
date: 2025-12-17
publication date: 2025-12-17
doi: 10.24117/2526-2270.2025.i19.17

“Anything Goes” Under the Sky:
type: item
description: The purpose of this article is to present the principles of Paul Feyerabend’s epistemology, described in Against Method, through the scientific practice of Harvard computers – women who worked at the Harvard Observatory between the 19th and 20th centuries. Four key Feyerabendian concepts are highlighted for this discussion, namely: counter-induction, the proliferation of theories and methodological pluralism, supposed “irrationality” that can lead to scientific progress, and the use of “forbidden resources” (such as hypotheses ad hoc). Through the historical episodes involving the “computers”, it is possible to show that astronomical knowledge has advanced through a diverse, creative and non-linear form of praxis. We conclude that the history of Harvard Computers embodies Feyerabend’s thesis that scientific progress is a pluralistic enterprise, relying on the diversity of methods and the freedom to challenge established rules and consensus.
subject: Dossiers (Issue-specific topics)
  topic: section
subject: Counter-induction
  topic: keywords
subject: History of astronomy
  topic: keywords
subject: Methodological pluralism
  topic: keywords
subject: Scientific practice
  topic: keywords
subject: Women in Sciences
  topic: keywords
subject: History and Philosophy of Science
  topic: disciplines
creator: Camila Maria Sitko
creator: Bárbara de Almeida Silvério
creator: Michel Corci Batista
creator: Indianara Lima Silva
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Camila Maria Sitko, Bárbara de Almeida Silvério, Michel Corci Batista, Indianara Lima Silva https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
date: 2025-12-17
publication date: 2025-12-17
doi: 10.24117/2526-2270.2025.i19.05

Michael Scot and the Augustalis Gold Coins
type: item
description: Herein is shown Michael Scot’s potential involvement in the minting of the Augustalis gold coins introduced by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Hohenstaufen II in the early thirteenth century. Michael Scot was definitely helpful in two aspects: measure and calculations. Additionally, it is shown how his knowledge of alchemy could have been helpful in metallurgical issues such as gold extraction and purification, suggesting that the century experienced a prototypical “entrepreneurial alchemy” that preceded Newton’s use of alchemy for the British Mint, centuries later.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: Artisanal Gold Mining
  topic: keywords
subject: Alchemy
  topic: keywords
subject: Medieval History
  topic: keywords
subject: History of Science
  topic: disciplines
creator: Tony C. Scott
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Tony C. Scott https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
date: 2025-12-17
publication date: 2025-12-17
doi: 10.24117/2526-2270.2025.i19.15

Error and the Progress of Science:
type: item
description: This article examines the epistemological role of scientific error by analyzing the responses of Karl Popper and Paul Feyerabend to the problem of error. It begins by clarifying the terminological foundations for the use of the term error in scientific contexts. Popper’s response is then discussed within the framework of falsifiability, emphasizing how his conception of conjectures and refutations departs from traditional views, while still presenting certain limitations. Feyerabend’s progressive response, in turn, attributes an essential and non-transitory role to error in the advancement of knowledge, particularly within the divergent proliferation of cosmologies. By critically examining this response, the article contributes to a broader understanding of the significance of errors in scientific progress.
subject: Dossiers (Issue-specific topics)
  topic: section
subject: Cosmological pluralism
  topic: keywords
subject: Falsifiability
  topic: keywords
subject: Karl Popper
  topic: keywords
subject: Paul Feyerabend
  topic: keywords
subject: History and Philosophy of Science
  topic: disciplines
creator: Lília Ferreira Souza Queiroz
creator: Deivide Garcia da Silva Oliveira
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Lília Ferreira Souza Queiroz, Deivide Garcia da Silva Oliveira https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
date: 2025-12-17
publication date: 2025-12-17
doi: 10.24117/2526-2270.2025.i19.07

Farewell to Abundance?
type: item
description: This paper critically examines the growing influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) through the lens of Feyerabend’s philosophy, specifically his defense of pluralism and the conquest of abundance. This influence poses a challenge to us by flattening the diversity and richness of human world and cognition. Our paper explores how AI systems actively sculpt reality by curtailing human preferences and narrowing the scope of what is considered real or possible. This algorithmic compression of reality is shown to be a direct assault on the abundance Feyerabend sought to protect. The algorithmic flattening will be explored in an empirical study, from which the concept of cognitive debt emerges. This cognitive impairment, coupled with the impoverishment of our shared reality, underscores the urgency of Feyerabend’s call to fight attempts to reduce abundance and devalue human existence. The paper concludes that Feyerabend’s pluralistic view offers a philosophical resource for critically facing the AI-driven world.
subject: Dossiers (Issue-specific topics)
  topic: section
subject: Brainwaves on AI
  topic: keywords
subject: Cultural flattening
  topic: keywords
subject: Ontological and epistemological homogeneity
  topic: keywords
subject: History and Philosophy of Science
  topic: disciplines
creator: Deivide Garcia da Silva Oliveira
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Deivide Garcia da Silva Oliveira https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
date: 2025-12-17
publication date: 2025-12-17
doi: 10.24117/2526-2270.2025.i19.10

Interview:
type: item
description: Interview: Eric Oberheim
subject: Dossiers (Issue-specific topics)
  topic: section
subject: Eric Oberheim
  topic: keywords
subject: Paul Feyerabend
  topic: keywords
subject: History and Philosophy of Science
  topic: disciplines
creator: Eric Oberheim
creator: Deivide Garcia da Silva Oliveira
creator: Leandro Giri
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Eric Oberheim, Deivide Garcia da Silva Oliveira, Leandro Giri https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
date: 2025-12-17
publication date: 2025-12-17
doi: 10.24117/2526-2270.2025.i19.09

Cosmological Counterinduction:
type: item
description: This paper is an attempt to reckon with Feyerabend’s engagements with socio-cultural anthropology, an area which has so far remained unexplored. After tracking some of his recurring anthropological reference points, I argue that anthropology was important to Feyerabend’s philosophy in two related ways: first, as a model for a flexible and situational form of theorizing; second, as a critical method for the relativization of different modes of understanding. Ultimately, I argue that anthropology was central to Feyerabend’s conception of cosmological criticism, his radically comparativist means of critiquing established modes of being and thinking.
subject: Dossiers (Issue-specific topics)
  topic: section
subject: Anthropology;
  topic: keywords
subject: Cosmology;
  topic: keywords
subject: Feyerabend;
  topic: keywords
subject: Hans Peter Duerr
  topic: keywords
subject: Witchcraft
  topic: keywords
subject: Antropology
  topic: disciplines
subject: History and Philosophy of Science
  topic: disciplines
creator: Philip Swift
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Philip Swift https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
date: 2025-12-17
publication date: 2025-12-17
doi: 10.24117/2526-2270.2025.i19.06

Feyerabend on Mach and Einstein:
type: item
description: Feyerabend is known for emphasizing the need to proliferate incompatible theories as a means of scientific progress. However, he also strongly criticized the idea of “​free theory creation” in the course of the debate over the interpretation of Ernst Mach’s philosophical work and its influence on Albert Einstein’s discovery of relativity. This criticism implies that Feyerabend conceived restrictions on theory creation. The purpose of this text is to identify what these restrictions were and whether they imply an internal tension in Feyerabend’s philosophy.
subject: Dossiers (Issue-specific topics)
  topic: section
subject: Creativity in science
  topic: keywords
subject: History of relativity
  topic: keywords
subject: History and Philosophy of Science
  topic: disciplines
creator: Miguel Agustín Aguilar Sandoval
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Miguel Agustín Aguilar Sandoval https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
date: 2025-12-17
publication date: 2025-12-17
doi: 10.24117/2526-2270.2025.i19.04

The Anthropocene Goes
type: item
description: The Anthropocene, a newly proposed geological event, continues to provoke debate across the sciences, humanities, and arts. While its stratigraphic status remains uncertain, the Anthropocene has already transformed scholarly and cultural imaginaries by entangling earth history with social history. To navigate this controversy, this paper mobilizes Paul Feyerabend’s notion of epistemological anarchism, summarized in the phrase “anything goes”, as a way to rethink the methodological and epistemic pluralism demanded by the Anthropocene. From “anything goes” to “anthropocene goes”, the argument here emphasizes that no single disciplinary lens or universal method can adequately capture the complexity of planetary transformations. Instead, pluralistic approaches must recognize multiple temporalities, causalities, and lived experiences of the climate regime, while also confronting the exclusion of underrepresented communities from epistemic participation.
subject: Dossiers (Issue-specific topics)
  topic: section
subject: Anthropocene;
  topic: keywords
subject: Epistemic pluralism
  topic: keywords
subject: Epistemological anarchism
  topic: keywords
subject: Feyerabend;
  topic: keywords
subject: History and Philosophy of Science
  topic: disciplines
creator: Rangga Kala Mahaswa
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Rangga Kala Mahaswa https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
date: 2025-12-17
publication date: 2025-12-17
doi: 10.24117/2526-2270.2025.i19.03

Making the Brain, Concealing the Subject:
type: item
description: In recent decades, knowledge about the brain has transformed radically, enabling neuroscience to venture into domains traditionally reserved for the humanities and social sciences. This expansion has prompted critiques regarding the potential implications and consequences of neuroscience’s engagement with domains such as education, law, politics, and the self. Building on these concerns, this study seeks to foster a dialogue between two onto-epistemological perspectives: (1) the epistemological history of the making of scientific objects and objectivity ideals and (2) decolonial and postcolonial reflections on knowledge and its history. The former illuminates the ontology of the brain as an object conceived as ahistorical, serving as a condition of possibility for neuroscience. This configuration facilitates flourishing objectivity. The latter reveals how these elements function as power technologies, thus presenting modern science and its objects as universal, valid, and inevitable. The brain serves as a case study for a dialogue that reveals how the construction of scientific objects coincides with subject concealment. Specifically, modern subjectivity is hidden behind these objects, whereas subjects external to modernity are excluded from scientific endeavors. The genesis of objectivity unfolds alongside European imperial expansion, anchoring the modern brain’s epistemic authority within the historical processes that have enabled its universalization.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: neuroscience;
  topic: keywords
subject: Lorraine Daston;
  topic: keywords
subject: decolonial;
  topic: keywords
subject: brain;
  topic: keywords
subject: scientific object
  topic: keywords
subject: History and Philosophy of Science
  topic: disciplines
subject: History and Philosophy of Medicine
  topic: disciplines
creator: Tomás de la Rosa
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Tomás de la Rosa https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
date: 2025-12-17
publication date: 2025-12-17
doi: 10.24117/2526-2270.2025.i19.13

Promises, Unpredictability, and Artificial Positivities:
type: item
description: The materials emerging from chemical laboratories are not fixed essences: they are hybrid entities—entwined with matter, technique, nature, and culture—whose properties are actualized as they circulate through diverse ecologies. From this understanding, we propose a relational philosophical framework to elucidate three conceptual operators that facilitate the comprehension of their modes of existence. First, the “economy of promises”: regimes of expectations that drive investments, shape markets, and imaginaries, and often eclipse environmental and social costs. Secondly, “unpredictability”: unanticipated effects that emerge when molecules move between contexts. Thirdly, “artificial positivity”: the capillarization of psychotropics as they move from therapeutic niches to performance-enhancing instruments, establishing chemically modulated forms of life. From these three operators, we derive essential normative criteria to prevent and counteract certain opaque and deleterious modes of existence of specific material entities produced by the chemical industry. Through this relational perspective, we seek to shift the focus from “what is” to “what might come to be” and “at what cost”; the philosophy of chemistry thereby reinserts into public debate dimensions often absent from purely descriptive or functionalist analyses of chemical entities.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: Philosophy of Chemistry
  topic: keywords
subject: Economy of Promises
  topic: keywords
subject: Unpredictability
  topic: keywords
subject: History and Philosophy of Chemistry
  topic: disciplines
creator: Ronei Clécio Mocellin
creator: Luciana Zaterka
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Ronei Clécio Mocellin, Luciana Zaterka https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
date: 2025-12-17
publication date: 2025-12-17
doi: 10.24117/2526-2270.2025.i19.14

Find Men:
type: item
description: This paper presents a re-evaluation of Paul Feyerabend’s philosophy of science and connects him with an unlikely ally in the physicist Richard Feynman. The essay argues they share critical, latent insights into the dynamic nature of science via the ideas of Michael Polanyi. Where Feyerabend has acquired the label of “anti-science radical”, this paper will contend that this is a fundamental misreading, mistaking his thoughts about science for prescriptive methodological claims for doing science. Such mis-readings play into a wider construction of the public image of both Feyerabend and Feynman that have been utilised in “science-culture wars”. However, both thinkers recognised the fundamental distinction between doing (a tacit, lived practice) and thinking about science (explicit knowledge, philosophy) to the extent that “science” cannot be accurately defined without misrepresenting it. Ultimately, both Feynman and Feyerabend were concerned at the growth of scientism masquerading under the name of science.
subject: Dossiers (Issue-specific topics)
  topic: section
subject: Feyerabend
  topic: keywords
subject: Culture war
  topic: keywords
subject: Explicit;
  topic: keywords
subject: Scientism;
  topic: keywords
subject: Feynman
  topic: keywords
subject: Tacit.
  topic: keywords
subject: History and Philosophy of Science
  topic: disciplines
creator: Ben Trubody
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Ben Trubody https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
date: 2025-12-17
publication date: 2025-12-17
doi: 10.24117/2526-2270.2025.i19.02

Fleck:
type: item
description: On at least two occasions, Thomas Kuhn referred to Ludwik Fleck. He did it in the Preface to The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, and years later in the introduction to the English translation of Fleck’s work. On the first occasion, he states that Fleck “anticipated many of my own ideas”, but he did not specify which. On the second occasion – although much more specific – he is still not very abundant. If we read Fleck’s work, we will notice that this influence is greater than we expect from these two quotations. In this article, I intend to rescue the historical memory of Fleck’s conception of scientific knowledge. Fleck influenced not only Kuhn, but also a vast current that thinks that science does not consist of isolated theories, but of structures that evolve over long historical periods, termed paradigms, research programs, traditions, Gestalten, or structures. After synthesizing the main points of Fleck epistemology, I will reconstruct his thought collective, considering – in a circular argument – he had a philosophical environment in which he developed his research, a community that guided it.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: Ludwik Fleck
  topic: keywords
subject: Thomas Kuhn
  topic: keywords
subject: Thought style
  topic: keywords
subject: Thought Collective
  topic: keywords
subject: Epistemology
  topic: keywords
subject: Scientific facts
  topic: keywords
subject: Wölfflin
  topic: keywords
subject: History and Philosophy of Science
  topic: disciplines
creator: César Lorenzano
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 César Lorenzano https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
date: 2025-12-17
publication date: 2025-12-17
doi: 10.24117/2526-2270.2025.i19.16

The Paul K. Feyerabend Foundation:
type: item
description: The document identifies two central themes in Paul K. Feyerabend’s work and discusses their alignment with the humanitarian activities of the Feyerabend Foundation. The first theme emphasises the abundance of life and pluralism – the proliferation of worldviews, cultures and methods that make life meaningful for different people, as opposed to unique, dogmatic views of “truth” and “reality”. This is in line with the Foundation’s support for cultural and biological diversity and community self-determination. The second element (“Every culture is potentially all cultures”) highlights the shared human nature and capacity for compassion that unite us beyond our cultural differences. This is consistent with the Foundation promoting community solidarity and addressing the root causes of social injustice. Interrupting this virtuous convergence, an unexpected postscript reveals how both Paul Feyerabend’s ideas and the genuine humanitarianism of the Feyerabend Foundation remain politically sensitive today and may, more than ever, be the subject of shameless attacks.
subject: Dossiers (Issue-specific topics)
  topic: section
subject: Paul Feyerabend
  topic: keywords
subject: History and Philosophy of Science
  topic: disciplines
creator: Grazia Borrini-Feyerabend
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Grazia Borrini-Feyerabend https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
date: 2025-12-17
publication date: 2025-12-17
doi: 10.24117/2526-2270.2025.i19.08

Introduction:
type: item
description: Editors Special Issue Paul Feyerabend and the History and Philosophy of Science
subject: Dossiers (Issue-specific topics)
  topic: section
subject: Paul Feyerabend
  topic: keywords
subject: History and Philosophy of Science
  topic: disciplines
creator: Deivide Garcia da Silva Oliveira
creator: Leandro Giri
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Deivide Garcia da Silva Oliveira, Leandro Giri https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
date: 2025-12-17
publication date: 2025-12-17
doi: 10.24117/2526-2270.2025.i19.01

In Celebration of Pluralism:
type: item
description: From the Editors
subject: From the Editors
  topic: section
subject: Paul Feyerabend
  topic: keywords
subject: History and Philosophy of Science
  topic: disciplines
creator: Fábio Rodrigo Leite
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Fábio Rodrigo Leite https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
date: 2025-12-17
publication date: 2025-12-17
doi: 10.24117/2526-2270.2025.i19.00

Interview: Kapil Raj and Thomás A. S. Haddad
type: item
description: Interview - Kapil Raj and Thomás A. S. Haddad : Following the Actors Beyond Science and Empire
subject: Interviews
  topic: section
subject: History of Science
  topic: keywords
subject: Historiography of Science
  topic: keywords
subject: Historiography of Science
  topic: disciplines
subject: History of Science
  topic: disciplines
creator: Kapil Raj
creator: Thomás A. S. Haddad
creator: Sabina Ferreira Alexandre Luz
creator: Millena Souza Farias
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Kapil Raj, Thomás A. S. Haddad, Sabina Ferreira Alexandre Luz, Millena Souza Farias https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
date: 2025-06-28
publication date: 2025-06-28
doi: 10.24117/2526-2270.2025.i18.11

Pablo Rubén Mariconda (1949-2025)
type: item
description: Pablo Rubén Mariconda (1949-2025): The Legacy of a Giant
subject: Obituary
  topic: section
subject: Brazilian Historiography of Science
  topic: disciplines
creator: Paulo Tadeu da Silva
creator: Claudemir Roque Tossato
creator: Eduardo Salles de O. Barra
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Paulo Tadeu da Silva, Claudemir Roque Tossato, Eduardo Salles de O. Barra https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
date: 2025-06-28
publication date: 2025-06-28
doi: 10.24117/2526-2270.2025.i18.13

Suitability of a Historical Research Design in a History Research
type: item
description: Historical research design provides a systematic framework ideal for examining historical events, people, and phenomena. It emphasizes chronological organization, enabling researchers to trace historical processes over time. Source analysis is central, promoting critical evaluation of primary and secondary sources to ensure accuracy and reliability. The design situates events within broader social, cultural, political, and economic contexts, fostering nuanced understanding. It facilitates causal analysis and comparative studies to identify patterns and contrasts across different historical situations. Longitudinal studies allow for the examination of developments over extended periods, while narrative construction ensures coherence and meaning. Interdisciplinary approaches further enrich historical inquiry by integrating insights from multiple fields. Beyond academia, historical research design aids in preserving collective memory by guiding the documentation and interpretation of the past. Its emphasis on critical analysis ensures methodological rigor, supporting accurate and meaningful contributions to historical scholarship.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: Design
  topic: keywords
subject: Historical
  topic: keywords
subject: Research
  topic: keywords
subject: Suitability
  topic: keywords
subject: Theory of History
  topic: disciplines
subject: Epistemology
  topic: disciplines
creator: Josephat Nairutia Kemei
creator: Kizito Muchanga Lusambili
creator: Kenneth Kaunda Odulwa
creator: Pascalia Okoba
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Josephat Nairutia Kemei, Kizito Muchanga Lusambili, Kenneth Kaunda Odulwa , Pascalia Okoba https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
date: 2025-06-28
publication date: 2025-06-28
doi: 10.24117/2526-2270.2025.i18.10

Constructivism and Historiography of Science in Argentina
type: item
description: The article focuses on the networks involved in the Spanish translation, in 2005, of the book Leviathan and the Air-Pump, by Steven Shapin and Simon Schaffer. It shows that the translation by the publishing house of the National University of Quilmes was linked to prior and subsequent tensions that arose within the framework of the local institutionalization of the STS (Science, Technology and Society) field and overlapped with concerns specific to the historiography of science in Argentina. Focusing on multidisciplinary publications and local institutional developments, it is shown how the constructivist approach adopted in the book received criticism from other currents such as the neo-institutional, Marxism, or historical epistemology. The final reflections show some of the derivations of these debates in relation to the decisions of science policies.
subject: Dossiers (Issue-specific topics)
  topic: section
subject: Constructivism
  topic: keywords
subject: Historiography
  topic: keywords
subject: Science
  topic: keywords
subject: Argentina
  topic: keywords
subject: STS Field
  topic: keywords
subject: Historiography of Science
  topic: disciplines
subject: STS
  topic: disciplines
creator: Marina Rieznik
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Marina Rieznik https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
date: 2025-06-28
publication date: 2025-06-28
doi: 10.24117/2526-2270.2025.i18.09

The Symmetrical Leviathan
type: item
description: Steven Shapin and Simon Schaffer’s main contribution has been to show how science can be understood as a complex activity. This perspective encourages a view of scientific endeavour not only in terms of its outcomes, but as a more holistic process that includes experiments, instruments, and discourses. From this perspective, the principle of symmetry established by the Sociology of Scientific Knowledge (SSK) programme plays a central role. In this paper we would like to analyse three aspects of the historical research carried out by the SSK authors: first, the tensions between historical and sociometric modes of inquiry; second, the emergence of the symmetry principle as a founding criterion of the SSK programme and its implication in the internal/external debate; and finally, a critical suggestion about the type and self of the historian who conducts the history of science on the basis of the SSK.
subject: Dossiers (Issue-specific topics)
  topic: section
subject: Sociology of Scientific Knowledge
  topic: keywords
subject: Symmetry Principle
  topic: keywords
subject: History of Science in Uruguay
  topic: keywords
subject: Steven Shapin
  topic: keywords
subject: Simon Schaffer
  topic: keywords
subject: Historiography of Science
  topic: disciplines
subject: History of Science
  topic: disciplines
subject: Epistemology
  topic: disciplines
creator: Juan A. Queijo Olano
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Juan A. Queijo Olano https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
date: 2025-06-28
publication date: 2025-06-28
doi: 10.24117/2526-2270.2025.i18.08

Leviathan and the Air Pump
type: item
description: Leviathan and the Air Pump represents, for Hacking, a story of unparalleled value for illustrating and working on several of his fundamental projects. It is the story of the historical conditions of possibility that allowed, in the 17th century, the emergence of the laboratory style of thinking & doing, based on the creation of a device in the experimental cabinet -the pump- with which to intervene in the world and create a new phenomenon -the void. Just as The Emergence of Probability and The Taming of Chance constitute not only examples of the application of scientific styles, but also the historical background that inspires this Hackinian notion, in Shapin y Schaffer’s book, Hacking finds the historical background for the new style he proposes: the laboratory style. This paper begins by presenting Hacking's proposed styles of scientific thinking & doing, then focuses on his characterization of the laboratory style. It concludes with an analysis of Hacking’s use of the history of Hobbes, Boyle, and the vacuum pump to illustrate his aforementioned projects.
subject: Dossiers (Issue-specific topics)
  topic: section
subject: Leviathan and the Air Pump
  topic: keywords
subject: Historical Conditions of Possibility for the Emergence of Scientific Concepts and Objects
  topic: keywords
subject: Hackinian Project of Styles of Scientific Thinking & Doing
  topic: keywords
subject: Laboratory Style
  topic: keywords
subject: Intervention into Nature and Creation of Phenomena
  topic: keywords
subject: Realism of the Entities
  topic: keywords
subject: Historiography of Science
  topic: disciplines
subject: History of Science
  topic: disciplines
subject: Epistemology
  topic: disciplines
creator: María Laura Martínez
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 María Laura Martínez https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
date: 2025-06-28
publication date: 2025-06-28
doi: 10.24117/2526-2270.2025.i18.07

Modernity Leaks
type: item
description: This paper examines Bruno Latour’s reading of Leviathan and the Air-Pump, arguing that the Boyle–Hobbes controversy, as reconstructed by Shapin and Schaffer, becomes foundational for Latour’s critique of modernity. It situates Latour’s reception of the book within broader shifts in science studies during the 1980s, focusing on the principle of generalized symmetry and a critique of social constructivism—a critique that, in Latour’s account, turns on the partition of representation introduced by the modern Constitution. This conceptual division assigns the representation of humans to politics and that of nonhumans to science—a structure that, according to Latour, emerged only with the settlement of the Boyle–Hobbes controversy. The paper shows how Latour appropriates the conceptual personae of Hobbes and Boyle as delineated by Shapin and Schaffer and transforms them into the founding figures of this bifurcation, while bringing to light the theologico-political dimension of the laboratory.
subject: Dossiers (Issue-specific topics)
  topic: section
subject: Representation
  topic: keywords
subject: Laboratory
  topic: keywords
subject: Authority
  topic: keywords
subject: Science Studies
  topic: keywords
subject: Historiography of Science
  topic: disciplines
subject: History of Science
  topic: disciplines
creator: Pablo N. Pachilla
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Pablo N. Pachilla https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
date: 2025-06-28
publication date: 2025-06-28
doi: 10.24117/2526-2270.2025.i18.06

The Social Value of the Trust-Truth Bond in a Post-Truth Era
type: item
description: Shapin and Shaffer’s book offers a socio-historical approach that highlights the inseparable relationship between the processes of producing “true” knowledge and the constitution of the epistemic community that produces and legitimates that knowledge and takes responsibility for it. Such legitimacy and authority are being discredited by phenomena characterized under the label of “post-truth.” The authors present their book as a study that characterizes the debate between Boyle’s “experimentalism” and Hobbes’s demonstrative method, as a response to the problem of assent and social order in the context of the Monarchical Restoration following the Civil War. I find an opportunity to reflect on the foundations of the acceptance of knowledge provided by the natural and social sciences in the current context of the post-truth phenomenon. The strategy is to follow our authors in the issue that has guided their research: How does a (scientific) community that works tirelessly to produce consensus around knowledge describe the knowledge achieved as given, rather than produced? The book reveals an interweaving between truth and trust. This will lead us to discourage dichotomies such as the given and the constructed, individualism-holism, fact-value, and move toward a consideration of “epistemic responsibility” within a communal framework.
subject: Dossiers (Issue-specific topics)
  topic: section
subject: Trust
  topic: keywords
subject: Truth
  topic: keywords
subject: Social Epistemology
  topic: keywords
subject: Post-Truth
  topic: keywords
subject: Production of Facts
  topic: keywords
subject: Historiography of Science
  topic: disciplines
subject: History of Science
  topic: disciplines
subject: Social Epistemology
  topic: disciplines
creator: Verónica Tozzi Thompson
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Verónica Tozzi Thompson https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
date: 2025-06-28
publication date: 2025-06-28
doi: 10.24117/2526-2270.2025.i18.05

Interview: Simon Schaffer
type: item
description: Interview: Simon Schaffer
subject: Dossiers (Issue-specific topics)
  topic: section
subject: Leviathan and the Air-Pump
  topic: keywords
subject: Simon Schaffer
  topic: keywords
subject: Historiography of Science
  topic: disciplines
subject: History of Science
  topic: disciplines
subject: Epistemology
  topic: disciplines
creator: Simon Schaffer
creator: Ana Carolina Vimiero Gomes
creator: Gabriel da Costa Ávila
creator: Mauro L. Condé
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Simon Schaffer, Ana Carolina Vimiero Gomes, Gabriel da Costa Ávila, Mauro L. Condé https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
date: 2025-06-28
publication date: 2025-06-28
doi: 10.24117/2526-2270.2025.i18.04

Edgar Zilsel
type: item
description: Edgar Zilsel: Researches in the history of science and philosophy
subject: Book Reviews
  topic: section
subject: Edgar Zilsel
  topic: keywords
subject: History of Science
  topic: keywords
subject: Historiography of Science
  topic: keywords
subject: Historiography of Science
  topic: disciplines
subject: History of Science
  topic: disciplines
subject: Epistemology
  topic: disciplines
creator: Mauro L. Condé
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Mauro L. Condé https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
date: 2025-06-28
publication date: 2025-06-28
doi: 10.24117/2526-2270.2025.i18.12

Interview: Steven Shapin
type: item
description: Interview
subject: Dossiers (Issue-specific topics)
  topic: section
subject: Steven Shapin
  topic: keywords
subject: Interview
  topic: keywords
subject: Historiography of Science
  topic: disciplines
subject: History of Science
  topic: disciplines
creator: Steven Shapin
creator: María de los Ángeles Martini
creator: Mauro L. Condé
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Steven Shapin , María de los Ángeles Martini, Mauro L. Condé https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
date: 2025-06-28
publication date: 2025-06-28
doi: 10.24117/2526-2270.2025.i18.03

The Validity of Leviathan and the Air-Pump
type: item
description: Introduction
subject: Dossiers (Issue-specific topics)
  topic: section
subject: Leviathan and the Air-Pump
  topic: keywords
subject: Simon Schaffer
  topic: keywords
subject: Steven Shapin
  topic: keywords
subject: Historiography of Science
  topic: disciplines
subject: History of Science
  topic: disciplines
creator: María de los Ángeles Martini
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 María de los Ángeles Martini https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
date: 2025-06-28
publication date: 2025-06-28
doi: 10.24117/2526-2270.2025.i18.02

Forty Years of Leviathan and the Air-Pump and the Horizons of a Transnational Historiography of Science
type: item
description: From the editors
subject: From the Editors
  topic: section
subject: Leviathan and the Air-Pump
  topic: keywords
subject: Steven Shapin
  topic: keywords
subject: Simon Schaffer
  topic: keywords
subject: Historiography of Science
  topic: disciplines
subject: History of Science
  topic: disciplines
creator: Marina S. Duarte
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Marina S. Duarte https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
date: 2025-06-28
publication date: 2025-06-28
doi: 10.24117/2526-2270.2025.i18.01