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Early Historiography of Science

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Handbook for the Historiography of Science

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Abstract

The chapter focuses mainly on early historiography of mathematics (fifteenth to seventeenth centuries). The earliest historiographical essays are mainly introductions to technical works, pursuing the need to upgrade the reputation of mathematics (rather than delving into its past technical developments) by tracing its roots in biblical or mythological literature. As the field established itself, its historiography turned to biography, then considered the best historiographical vehicle, and ended by heroizing scientists in line with contemporary literary style, recalling biblical and classical elements.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Philosophy, for example, included physics, which was a qualitative field, and as late as 1677 mathematics included arithmetic, geometry, music, geography, hydrology, navigation, meteorology, astronomy, “and other mathematical sciences.” See Middleton (1975, 144).

  2. 2.

    A milestone in modern historiography of science is Joseph Agassi’s Towards an Historiography of Science (1963/1967). The first issue of the Journal of the History of Ideas of 2006 devoted several articles to the histories of science in early modern Europe (JHI 67/1): Robert Goulding, “Histories of Science in Early Modern Europe: Introduction,” 33–40; James Steven Byrne, “A Humanist History of Mathematics? Regiomontanus’s Padua Oration in Context,” 41–61; Robert Goulding, “Method and Mathematics: Peter Ramus’s Histories of the Sciences,” 63–85; Nicholas Popper, “‛Abraham, Planter of Mathematics’: Histories of Mathematics and Astrology in Early Modern Europe,” 87–106.

  3. 3.

    For a general outline, see Sinkevich (2017), https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.1707.01774. Accessed 30 Apr 2022.

  4. 4.

    The Dictionary of Syr Thomas Eliot Knyght (London, 1538) defined “Mathematicus” as “he that is cunnynge in auljgryme, musyke, geometry, and astronomy” and “Philosophia” as “the loue or fauojrynge of wysedome.”

  5. 5.

    Oratio Iohannis de Monteregio, habita Patavij in praelectione Alfragani (Müller, Johannes – Regiomontanus, 1537/1972). For a critical review with translations of selected passages, see Byrne, “A Humanist History of Mathematics?” (Byrne 2006, 41–61).

  6. 6.

    The main thesis of Byrne’s article, “A Humanist History of Mathematics?”, is that the oration places Regiomontanus less firmly in the humanistic tradition than generally thought.

  7. 7.

    Tartaglia’s autobiography is included in his Quesiti et inventioni diverse (Tartaglia 1554/1959, 69–70; Cardan 1962).

  8. 8.

    The lives of medieval and Renaissance mathematicians are collected in Baldi (1998). For a list of other published lives, see Baldi (1998, 29–30). Gassendi’s biographies were included in Gassendi (1658/1964).

  9. 9.

    See Paul Lawrence Rose, The Italian Renaissance of Mathematics, who devotes a whole chapter to Baldi (Rose 1975, 263–279), here p. 265.

  10. 10.

    Baldi’s literary precursors are discussed by Nenci in his introduction to Le vite de’ matematici (Baldi 1998); by Rose, The Italian Renaissance of Mathematics, in the chapter devoted to Baldi (Rose 1975); and by Bronisław Biliński, Prolegomena alle Vite dei matematici di Bernardino Baldi (1587–1596) (Biliński 1977, 72–97).

  11. 11.

    The early biographies of Galileo were recently collected and translated by Gattei (2019).

  12. 12.

    On Galileo’s birth and Michelangelo’s death (Segre 1989a, 222–223).

  13. 13.

    Doubts on the truthfulness of the tower experiment were expressed by several authors (Segre 1989b).

  14. 14.

    (La Vie du R. P. Marin Mersenne theologien, philosophe et mathematicien de l’Ordre des Peres Minime, par F. D. C. H. Religieux du mesme Ordre (Paris, 1649), 2–3: “. . .iour celebre en l’Eglise par la Natiuité de la Vierge Mere de Dieu, & pour la destruction de Hierusalem, qui fut prise & ruinée par l’Epereur Tite fils de Vespasien, comme le Sauuer du monde l’auoit predit quarante ans auparauant: Ce iour est aussi remarquable pour la naissance de plusieurs hommes illustrus en pieté, en valeur, & en doctrine.” Translation mine.

  15. 15.

    “Par hazard” (Pascal 1923, Vol. 1, 54).

  16. 16.

    This edition was the earliest available to me: “Ayant pénétré dans les secrets de la nature.” Translation mine.

  17. 17.

    “Plein de cette vigueur d’esprit que donne la première jeunesse.” Translation mine.

  18. 18.

    “Par hasard.” Translation mine.

  19. 19.

    See France and St Clair (2002, 81–101, 93–96), Schaffer (2015, 48–61), Fontenelle (1728), and. http://www.newtonproject.ox.ac.uk/view/texts/normalized/OTHE00036.

  20. 20.

    The first part of the book is without page numbers. Spelling and italics as in the original text.

  21. 21.

    On the plausibility of the story of Newton’s apple, see Westfall (1980, 154).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Gabriele D’Annunzio University, Chieti, Italy

    Michael Segre

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  1. Michael Segre
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  1. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil

    Mauro L. Condé

  2. Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil

    Marlon Salomon

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Segre, M. (2023). Early Historiography of Science. In: Condé, M.L., Salomon, M. (eds) Handbook for the Historiography of Science. Historiographies of Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-99498-3_19-2

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    Early Historiography of Science
    Published:
    07 July 2023

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-99498-3_19-2

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    Early Historiography o1/cf Science
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    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-99498-3_19-1

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