Organising institution
Utrecht University / Descartes Centre
Organiser(s)
Lukas M. Verburgt
Dates and time of the event
Thursday 12 March 2020, 15:30-17:00
Place of the event
Academiegebouw (University Hall), Domplein 29, Utrecht
Rational
CfA: Launch of History of Knowledge Seminar Series @ Utrecht University + Lecture by Lorraine Daston (MPIWG) on Thursday 12 March 2020
All are invited to the launch of the new History of Knowledge Seminar Series @ Utrecht University and the lecture by prof. Lorraine Daston (MPIWG) on Thursday 12 March 2020.
Bringing together leading scholars of both older and younger generations with different backgrounds and approaches, this bimonthly seminar series explores the past, present and future of the promising new scholarly field of the history of knowledge. More than just an overview of state-of-the-art research, it offers an opportunity to join the process of historiography in the making.
Among the speakers in the 2020-21 program are Lorraine Daston, Jürgen Renn, Peter Burke and Jim Secord. The series is organized by Lukas M. Verburgt with the support of the Descartes Centre, Utrecht.
For the full program and more information see: www.historyofknowledge.nl
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Lorraine Daston (Max Planck Institute for the History of Science)
’Knowledge Has Its Own Rules – And They Have A History’
Thursday 12 March 2020
15:30-17:00
Academiegebouw (University Hall)
Domplein 29, Utrecht
“The promising new field of the history of knowledge has been mostly defined by what it is not, namely the modern natural sciences. As a result, the history of knowledge threatens to become a miscellany, embracing practical know-how, the academic humanities disciplines, various ethno-studies (ethnobotany, ethnomusicology, etc.), and much, much else. The challenge is to give the history of knowledge its own shape and coherence, without losing the scope and openness to new topics that are its main attractions. One possibility might be to look at a form of rationality that is both ubiquitous but multifarious: attempts to order and codify ways of doing and knowing by rules, whether the subject matter is the weather, carpentry, or grammar. Because the modern natural sciences also formulate rules (e.g. natural laws), this approach might serve as a model for investigating knowledge and science together, rather than in opposition to one another.”
(*This lecture is co-sponsored by the Descartes Centre and the Evert Willem Beth Stichting)
Registration is not obligatory, but highly recommended as seating is limited. Please register by sending a message to historyofknowledge.utrecht@gmail.com.
Contact
historyofknowledge.utrecht@gmail.com