Presidential address Experts and publishers: writing popular science in early twentieth-century Britain, writing popular history of science now

2006 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 159-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
PETER J. Bowler
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
History Of Science ◽  
Scientific Community ◽  
Presidential Address ◽  
Popular Science ◽  
Science Writing ◽  
Early Twentieth Century ◽  
History Of ◽  
Popular Science Writing ◽  
Popular Writing

The bulk of this address concerns itself with the extent to which professional scientists were involved in popular science writing in early twentieth-century Britain. Contrary to a widespread assumption, it is argued that a significant proportion of the scientific community engaged in writing the more educational type of popular science. Some high-profile figures acquired enough skill in popular writing to exert considerable influence over the public's perception of science and its significance. The address also shows how publishers actively sought ‘expert’ authors for popular material, but at the same time controlled what was published in accordance with their perception of what would sell. At a more popular level of writing there were many semi-professional authors who, while not active scientists, exploited close contacts with the scientific community. Here there was a strong emphasis on the practical applications of science.The address concludes by suggesting parallels between popular science writing in this period and the present state of popular writing about the history of science.

scholarly journals Presidential address: Experimenting with the scientific past

2016 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 153-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
GREGORY RADICK
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
History Of Science ◽  
Presidential Address ◽  
Teaching Experiment ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Early Twentieth Century ◽  
History Of ◽  
Counterfactual History ◽  
Science Educators

AbstractWhen it comes to knowledge about the scientific pasts that might have been – the so-called ‘counterfactual’ history of science – historians can either debate its possibility or get on with the job. Taking the latter course means re-engaging with some of the most general questions about science. It can also lead to fresh insights into why particular episodes unfolded as they did and not otherwise. Drawing on recent research into the controversy over Mendelism in the early twentieth century, this address reports and reflects on a novel teaching experiment conducted in order to find out what biology and its students might be like now had the controversy gone differently. The results suggest a number of new options: for the collection of evidence about the counterfactual scientific past, for the development of collaborations between historians of science and science educators, for the cultivation of more productive relationships between scientists and their forebears, and for heightened self-awareness about the curiously counterfactual business of being historical.

scholarly journals Aristotle, Buddhist scripture and embryology in ancient Mexico: building inclusion by re-thinking what counts as the history of developmental biology

Development ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 148 (3) ◽  
pp. dev192062
Author(s):  
John B. Wallingford
Keyword(s):  
Developmental Biology ◽  
Popular Science ◽  
Science Writing ◽  
Biology Textbooks ◽  
Greek Philosopher ◽  
Buddhist Scripture ◽  
History Of ◽  
Popular Science Writing ◽  
The Rich ◽  
Rich History

ABSTRACTIt has not gone unnoticed in recent times that historical writing about science is heavily Eurocentric. A striking example can be found in the history of developmental biology: textbooks and popular science writing frequently trace an intellectual thread from the Greek philosopher Aristotle through 19th century embryology to 20th century genetics. Few in our field are aware of the depth and breadth of early embryological thinking outside of Europe. Here, I provide a series of vignettes highlighting the rich history of embryological thinking in Asia and Latin America. My goal is to provide an entertaining, even provocative, synopsis of this important but under-studied topic. It is my hope that this work will spur others to carry out more thorough investigations, with the ultimate goal of building a more inclusive discipline.

Introduction

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Massimiliano Badino ◽  
Jaume Navarro
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
History Of Science ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
Classical Physics ◽  
Early Twentieth Century ◽  
The Status ◽  
Modern Physics ◽  
Relevant Role ◽  
History Of

This chapter addresses the historiography that justifies the contents of this book along the three major lines: (i) the usual divide between classical physics and modern physics is misleading when trying to explain the status quo of the ether in the early twentieth century; (ii) the ether remains alive in many quarters, thanks to a complex entanglement of authority, knowledge and ethos of some of the main actors involved in this story; (iii) the ether played a relevant role in the quest for unity in knowledge of nature in an attempt to transcend the divide between the material and the spiritual. Finally, this chapter makes a plea for pluralism in the history of science, escaping from linear and progressive accounts in the history of the demise of the ether.

scholarly journals La ciencia española en la Segunda República y la historiografía

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 ◽  
pp. 119
Author(s):  
Álvaro Ribagorda
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
History Of Science ◽  
Second Republic ◽  
Spanish History ◽  
Early Twentieth Century ◽  
History Of ◽  
University Scientists ◽  
Siglo Xx

Resumen: La historiografía no ha dedicado mucha atención a las particularidades de la ciencia española durante la Segunda República, quedando diluida esta etapa dentro de las visiones generales del primer tercio del siglo XX que suelen abordar las historias de la cien­cia española. A partir de la revisión de la bibliografía concerniente a este tema, se plantea aquí el interés de desarrollar una perspectiva historiográfica espe­cífica sobre el mismo.Palabras claves: Ciencia, JAE, Universidad, científicos, Segunda República.Abstract: Historiography has yet to pay enough atten­tion to specificity of science during the Spanish Second Republic. The period has been diluted within general visions of the early twentieth-century Spanish History of Science. Here we review the literature and highlight the impor­tance of developing a specific historiographical perspective on the topic.Key words: Science, JAE, University, scientists, Spanish Second Republic.

ENGLISH LABOUR AND TRADE UNIONISM OF THE EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURY IN THE COVERAGE OF THE BRITISH HISTORIAN G. D. H. COLE

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 22-33
Author(s):  
T.N. GELLA ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
First World War ◽  
World War ◽  
Trade Unionism ◽  
Early Twentieth Century ◽  
The First World War ◽  
History Of ◽  
Socialist Movement ◽  
First World

The main purpose of the article is to analyze the views of a famous British historian G.D.G. Cole on the history of the British workers' and UK socialist movement in the early twentieth century. The arti-cle focuses on the historian's assessment and the reasons for the workers' strike movement intensi-fication on the eve of the First World War, the specifics of such trends as labourism, trade unionism and syndicalism.

Deuteronomy, Hosea, and the Theory of Northern Origins

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bill T. Arnold
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Recent Work ◽  
Eighth Century ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Early Twentieth Century ◽  
History Of

Deuteronomy appears to share numerous thematic and phraseological connections with the book of Hosea from the eighth century bce. Investigation of these connections during the early twentieth century settled upon a scholarly consensus, which has broken down in more recent work. Related to this question is the possibility of northern origins of Deuteronomy—as a whole, or more likely, in an early proto-Deuteronomy legal core. This chapter surveys the history of the investigation leading up to the current impasse and offers a reexamination of the problem from the standpoint of one passage in Hosea.

A Century of America on Chinese Screens

2010 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 305-323 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhiwei Xiao
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Print Media ◽  
The United States ◽  
Sharp Contrast ◽  
American People ◽  
Early Twentieth Century ◽  
History Of ◽  
Chinese Films ◽  
New Millennium

AbstractNo serious study has been published on how Chinese filmmakers have portrayed the United States and the American people over the last century. The number of such films is not large. That fact stands in sharp contrast not only to the number of "China pictures" produced in the United States, which is not surprising, but also in contrast to the major role played by Chinese print media. This essay surveys the history of Chinese cinematic images of America from the early twentieth century to the new millennium and notes the shifts from mostly positive portrayal in the pre-1949 Chinese films, to universal condemnation during the Mao years and to a more nuanced, complex, and multi-colored presentation of the last few decades.

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