History of science and technology
Encyclopedia
The history of science and technology (HST) is a field of history
which examines how humanity's understanding of the natural world (science) and ability to manipulate it (technology) have changed over the centuries. This academic discipline also studies the cultural, economic, and political impacts of scientific innovation.
Histories of science
were originally written by practicing and retired scientists, starting primarily with William Whewell
, as a way to communicate the virtues of science to the public. In the early 1930s, after a famous paper given by the Soviet historian Boris Hessen
,was focused into looking at the ways in which scientific practices were allied with the needs and motivations of their context. After World War II
, extensive resources were put into teaching and researching the discipline, with the hopes that it would help the public better understand both science and technology as they came to play an exceedingly prominent role in the world. In the 1960s, especially in the wake of the work done by Thomas Kuhn
, the discipline began to serve a very different function, and began to be used as a way to critically examine the scientific enterprise. At the present time it is often closely aligned with the field of Science studies
.
Modern engineering as it is understood today took form during the scientific revolution
, though much of the mathematics and science was built on the work of the Greeks
, Egyptians
, Mesopotamia
ns, Chinese
, Indians
and Muslims
. See the main articles History of science
and History of technology
for these respective topics.
at Harvard with his book Introduction to the History of Science (1927) and the Isis journal
(founded in 1912). Sarton exemplified the early 20th century view of the history of science as the history of great men and great ideas. He shared with many of his contemporaries a Whiggish belief in history as a record of the advances and delays in the march of progress. The history of science was not a recognized subfield of American history in this period, and most of the work was carried out by interested scientists and physicians rather than professional historians. With the work of I. Bernard Cohen
at Harvard, the history of science became an established subdiscipline of history after 1945.
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
which examines how humanity's understanding of the natural world (science) and ability to manipulate it (technology) have changed over the centuries. This academic discipline also studies the cultural, economic, and political impacts of scientific innovation.
Histories of science
Historiography of science
Historiography is the study of the history and methodology of the discipline of history. The historiography of science is thus the study of the history and methodology of the sub-discipline of history, known as the history of science, including its disciplinary aspects and practices and to the...
were originally written by practicing and retired scientists, starting primarily with William Whewell
William Whewell
William Whewell was an English polymath, scientist, Anglican priest, philosopher, theologian, and historian of science. He was Master of Trinity College, Cambridge.-Life and career:Whewell was born in Lancaster...
, as a way to communicate the virtues of science to the public. In the early 1930s, after a famous paper given by the Soviet historian Boris Hessen
Boris Hessen
Boris Mikhailovich Hessen , also Gessen was a Soviet physicist, philosopher and historian of science...
,was focused into looking at the ways in which scientific practices were allied with the needs and motivations of their context. After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, extensive resources were put into teaching and researching the discipline, with the hopes that it would help the public better understand both science and technology as they came to play an exceedingly prominent role in the world. In the 1960s, especially in the wake of the work done by Thomas Kuhn
Thomas Kuhn
Thomas Samuel Kuhn was an American historian and philosopher of science whose controversial 1962 book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions was deeply influential in both academic and popular circles, introducing the term "paradigm shift," which has since become an English-language staple.Kuhn...
, the discipline began to serve a very different function, and began to be used as a way to critically examine the scientific enterprise. At the present time it is often closely aligned with the field of Science studies
Science studies
Science studies is an interdisciplinary research area that seeks to situate scientific expertise in a broad social, historical, and philosophical context. It is concerned with the history of academic disciplines, the interrelationships between science and society, and the alleged covert purposes...
.
Modern engineering as it is understood today took form during the scientific revolution
Scientific revolution
The Scientific Revolution is an era associated primarily with the 16th and 17th centuries during which new ideas and knowledge in physics, astronomy, biology, medicine and chemistry transformed medieval and ancient views of nature and laid the foundations for modern science...
, though much of the mathematics and science was built on the work of the Greeks
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
, Egyptians
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
, Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a toponym for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran.Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the...
ns, Chinese
History of science and technology in China
The history of science and technology in China is both long and rich with many contributions to science and technology. In antiquity, independently of other civilizations, ancient Chinese philosophers made significant advances in science, technology, mathematics, and astronomy...
, Indians
Science and technology in ancient India
The history of science and technology in the Indian subcontinent begins with prehistoric human activity at Mehrgarh, in present-day Pakistan, and continues through the Indus Valley Civilization to early states and empires. The British colonial rule introduced some elements of western education in...
and Muslims
Islamic Golden Age
During the Islamic Golden Age philosophers, scientists and engineers of the Islamic world contributed enormously to technology and culture, both by preserving earlier traditions and by adding their own inventions and innovations...
. See the main articles History of science
History of science
The history of science is the study of the historical development of human understandings of the natural world and the domains of the social sciences....
and History of technology
History of technology
The history of technology is the history of the invention of tools and techniques, and is similar in many ways to the history of humanity. Background knowledge has enabled people to create new things, and conversely, many scientific endeavors have become possible through technologies which assist...
for these respective topics.
Argentina
- Buenos Aires Institute of Technology, Argentina, has been offering courses on History of the Technology and the Science.
- National Technological UniversityNational Technological UniversityThe National Technological University is a National University of Argentina, specializing in engineering and exact sciences. Hosting over 75,000 students, its student body is comparable to Argentina's third-largest university and exceeded significantly only by the University of Buenos Aires...
, Argentina, has a complete history program on its offered careers.
Australia
- The University of Sydney offers both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in the History and Philosophy of Science, run by the Unit for the History and Philosophy of Science, within the Science Faculty. Undergraduate coursework can be completed as part of either a Bachelor of Science or a Bachelor of Arts Degree. Undergraduate study can be furthered by completing an additional Honours year. For postgraduate study, the Unit offers both coursework and research based degrees. The two course-work based postgraduate degrees are the Graduate Certificate in Science (HPS) and the Graduate Diploma in Science (HPS). The two research based postgraduate degrees are a Master of Science (MSc) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).
Belgium
- University of LiègeUniversity of LiègeThe University of Liège , in Liège, Wallonia, Belgium, is a major public university in the French Community of Belgium. Its official language is French.-History:...
, has a department called Centre d'histoire des sciences et techniques.
Canada
- Carleton UniversityCarleton UniversityCarleton University is a comprehensive university located in the capital of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. The enabling legislation is The Carleton University Act, 1952, S.O. 1952. Founded as a small college in 1942, Carleton now offers over 65 programs in a diverse range of disciplines. Carleton has...
Ottawa offer courses in Ancient Science and Technology in its Technology, Society and Environment program - University of TorontoUniversity of TorontoThe University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
has a program in history and philosophy of Science and Technology. - University of King's CollegeUniversity of King's CollegeThe University of King's College is a post-secondary institution in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. King's is a small liberal arts university offering mainly undergraduate programs....
in Halifax, Nova Scotia has a History of Science and Technology Program.
France
- Nantes University has a dedicated department called Centre François Viète.
- Paris Diderot University (Paris 7) has a Department of History and philosophy of Science.
- A CNRS research center in history and philosophy of science SPHERE, affiliated with Paris Diderot University, has a dedicated history of technology section.
- Pantheon-Sorbonne University (Paris 1) has a dedicated Institute of History and Philosophy of Science and Technics.
- The École Normale SupérieureÉcole Normale SupérieureThe École normale supérieure is one of the most prestigious French grandes écoles...
de Paris has a history of science Department.
Germany
- Technische Universität Berlin, has a program in the History of science and technology.
Greece
- The University of Athens has a Department of Philosophy and History of Science http://www.phs.uoa.gr/node.php?n=home&lang=en
India
- Banaras Hindu UniversityBanaras Hindu UniversityBanaras Hindu University is a public university located in Varanasi, India and is one of the Central Universities of India. It is the largest residential university in Asia, with over 24,000 students in its campus. BHU was founded in 1916 by Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya under the Parliamentary...
has programs: one in History of science and Technology at the Faculty of Science and one in Historical and Comparative Studies of the Sciences and the Humanities at the Faculty of Humanities
Israel
- Tel Aviv UniversityTel Aviv UniversityTel Aviv University is a public university located in Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel. With nearly 30,000 students, TAU is Israel's largest university.-History:...
. The Cohn Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Ideas is a research and graduate teaching institute within the framework of the School of History of Tel Aviv UniversityTel Aviv UniversityTel Aviv University is a public university located in Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel. With nearly 30,000 students, TAU is Israel's largest university.-History:...
. - Bar Ilan University has a Department for Science and Technology Studies.
Japan
- Kyoto UniversityKyoto University, or is a national university located in Kyoto, Japan. It is the second oldest Japanese university, and formerly one of Japan's Imperial Universities.- History :...
has a program in the Philosophy and History of Science. - Tokyo Institute of TechnologyTokyo Institute of TechnologyThe Tokyo Institute of Technology is a public research university located in Greater Tokyo Area, Japan. Tokyo Tech is the largest institution for higher education in Japan dedicated to science and technology. Tokyo Tech enrolled 4,850 undergaraduates and 5006 graduate students for 2009-2010...
has a program in the History, Philosophy, and Social Studies of Science and Technology. - The University of Tokyo has a program in the History and Philosophy of Science.
Netherlands
- Utrecht UniversityUtrecht UniversityUtrecht University is a university in Utrecht, Netherlands. It is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands and one of the largest in Europe. Established March 26, 1636, it had an enrollment of 29,082 students in 2008, and employed 8,614 faculty and staff, 570 of which are full professors....
, has two co-operating programs: one in History and Philosophy of Science at the Faculty of Natural Sciences and one in Historical and Comparative Studies of the Sciences and the Humanities at the Faculty of Humanities.
Spain
- University of the Basque CountryUniversity of the Basque CountryThe University of the Basque Country is the only public university in the Basque Country, in Northern Spain...
, offers a master degree and PhD programme in History and Philosophy of Science and runs since 1952 THEORIA. International Journal for Theory, History and Foundations of Science. The university also sponsors the Basque Museum of the History of Medicine and ScienceBasque Museum of the History of Medicine and ScienceThe Basque Museum of the History of Medicine and Science Jose Luis Goiti was founded in 1982 to preserve the historic memory of medicine in the Basque Country and conserve its scientific heritage...
, the only open museum of history of science of SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, that in the past offered also PhD courses. - Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, offers a master degree and PhD programme in HST together with the Universitat de Barcelona.
- Universitat de ValènciaUniversitat de ValènciaThe University of Valencia is a university located in the Spanish city of Valencia. It is one of the oldest surviving universities in Spain,and the oldest in the Valencian Community, and is regarded as one of Spain's leading academic institutions...
, offers a master degree and PhD programme in HST together with the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas.
Sweden
- Linköpings universitetLinköping UniversityLinköping University is a state university in Linköping, Sweden. Linköping University was granted full university status in 1975 and is now one of Sweden's larger academic institutions. Education, research and PhD training are the mission of four faculties: Arts and Sciences, Educational...
, has a Science, Technology, and Society program which includes HST.
Switzerland
- University of Bern, has an undergraduate and a graduate program in the History and Philosophy of Science.
United Kingdom
- University College LondonUniversity College LondonUniversity College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
has an undergraduate programme in History and Philosophy of Science in the Department of Science and Technology Studies, offering three BSc degrees. A taught MSc programme is offered through the London Centre for History of Science, Medicine and Technology. An MPhil/PhD research degree is offered, too. UCL also contains The Wellcome TrustWellcome TrustThe Wellcome Trust was established in 1936 as an independent charity funding research to improve human and animal health. With an endowment of around £13.9 billion, it is the United Kingdom's largest non-governmental source of funds for biomedical research...
Centre for the History of Medicine which runs a postgraduate programme. - University of OxfordUniversity of OxfordThe University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
has a one-year graduate course in 'History of Science: Instruments, Museums, Science, Technology' associated with the Museum of the History of Science. - University of LeedsUniversity of LeedsThe University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
has both undergraduate and graduate programmes in History and Philosophy of Science in the Department of Philosophy. - University of ManchesterUniversity of ManchesterThe University of Manchester is a public research university located in Manchester, United Kingdom. It is a "red brick" university and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive British universities and the N8 Group...
offers undergraduate modules and postgraduate study in History of Science, Technology and Medicine and is sponsored by the Wellcome Trust. - University of BristolUniversity of BristolThe University of Bristol is a public research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. One of the so-called "red brick" universities, it received its Royal Charter in 1909, although its predecessor institution, University College, Bristol, had been in existence since 1876.The University is...
has a masters and PhD program in the Philosophy and History of Science. - University of CambridgeUniversity of CambridgeThe University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
has an undergraduate course and a large masters and PhD program in the History and Philosophy of Science (including the History of Medicine). - University of Durham, UK, has several undergraduate History of Science modules in the Philosophy department, as well as Masters and PhD programs in the discipline.
- London Centre for the History of Science, Medicine, and Technology - this Centre was formed in 1987 and runs a taught MSc programme, jointly taught by Imperial College LondonImperial College LondonImperial College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom, specialising in science, engineering, business and medicine...
, University College LondonUniversity College LondonUniversity College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
, and the Wellcome TrustWellcome TrustThe Wellcome Trust was established in 1936 as an independent charity funding research to improve human and animal health. With an endowment of around £13.9 billion, it is the United Kingdom's largest non-governmental source of funds for biomedical research...
Centre for the History of Medicine at UCL.
United States
Academic study of the history of science as an independent discipline was launched by George SartonGeorge Sarton
George Sarton was a Belgian chemist and historian who is considered the founder of the discipline of history of science. He left Belgium because of the First World War and settled in the United States where he spent the rest of his life researching and writing about the history of science...
at Harvard with his book Introduction to the History of Science (1927) and the Isis journal
Isis (journal)
Isis is an academic journal published by University of Chicago Press. It focuses on the history of science, history of medicine, and the history of technology, as well as their cultural influences, featuring both original research articles as well as extensive book reviews and review essays.It was...
(founded in 1912). Sarton exemplified the early 20th century view of the history of science as the history of great men and great ideas. He shared with many of his contemporaries a Whiggish belief in history as a record of the advances and delays in the march of progress. The history of science was not a recognized subfield of American history in this period, and most of the work was carried out by interested scientists and physicians rather than professional historians. With the work of I. Bernard Cohen
I. Bernard Cohen
I. Bernard Cohen was the Victor S. Thomas Professor of the history of science at Harvard University and the author of many books on the history of science and, in particular, Isaac Newton....
at Harvard, the history of science became an established subdiscipline of history after 1945.
- Arizona State UniversityArizona State UniversityArizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
's Center for Biology and Society offers several paths for MS or PhD students who are interested in issues surrounding the history and philosophy of the science, particularly biological sciences. The strength of the Center has much to do with the success of its director Jane MaienscheinJane MaienscheinDr. Jane Maienschein is an American professor and director of the Center for Biology and Society, at Arizona State University.-Education:...
. With a concentration in Biology and Society one can focus on History and Philosophy of Science, Bioscience Ethics, Policy and Law, or Ecology, Economics, and Ethics of the Environment. - Brown UniversityBrown UniversityBrown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
has a program in Science and Technology StudiesScience and technology studiesScience, technology and society is the study of how social, political, and cultural values affect scientific research and technological innovation, and how these, in turn, affect society, politics and culture...
and the History of MathematicsHistory of mathematicsThe area of study known as the history of mathematics is primarily an investigation into the origin of discoveries in mathematics and, to a lesser extent, an investigation into the mathematical methods and notation of the past....
. (This program is in the process of being phased out. There are no longer any full-time faculty, and no new students are being admitted to the program.) - California Institute of TechnologyCalifornia Institute of TechnologyThe California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
offers courses in the History and Philosophy of Science to fulfill its core humanities requirements. - Case Western Reserve UniversityCase Western Reserve UniversityCase Western Reserve University is a private research university located in Cleveland, Ohio, USA...
has an undergraduate interdisciplinary program in the History and Philosophy of Science and a graduate program in the History of Science, Technology, Environment, and Medicine (STEM). - Cornell UniversityCornell UniversityCornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
offers a variety of courses within the Science and Technology course. One notable course is called Science and Technology History, taught currently by Professor Peter Dear, which centers upon the development of Science and Technology History from the Newtonian era up to the Einsteinian revolution. This class is one of the longest running classes at Cornell University and is offered by the College of Arts and SciencesCollege of Arts and SciencesA College of Arts and Sciences or School of Arts and Sciences is most commonly a unit within a university which focuses on instruction of the liberal arts and pure sciences, especially in North America and the Philippines, although they frequently include programs and faculty in fine arts, social...
and caters to students who want to learn more about the development of modern science. - Georgia Institute of TechnologyGeorgia Institute of TechnologyThe Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
has an undergraduate and graduate program in the History of Technology and Society. - Harvard has a large undergraduate and graduate program in History of Science, and is one of the largest departments currently in the world.
- Indiana University offers undergraduate courses and a masters and PhD program in the History and Philosophy of Science.
- Johns Hopkins UniversityJohns Hopkins UniversityThe Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
has an undergraduate and graduate program in the History of Science, Medicine, and Technology. - University of Kings College has a degree program in History of Science and Technology
- Lehigh UniversityLehigh UniversityLehigh University is a private, co-educational university located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the United States. It was established in 1865 by Asa Packer as a four-year technical school, but has grown to include studies in a wide variety of disciplines...
offers an undergraduate level STS concentration (founded in 1972) and a graduate program with emphasis on the history of industrial America. - Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyThe Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
has a Science, Technology, and Society program which includes HST. - New Jersey Institute of TechnologyNew Jersey Institute of TechnologyNew Jersey Institute of Technology is a public research university in Newark, New Jersey. It is often also referred to as Newark College of Engineering ....
has a Science, Technology, and Society program which includes the History of Science and Technology - Oregon State UniversityOregon State UniversityOregon State University is a coeducational, public research university located in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. The university offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees and a multitude of research opportunities. There are more than 200 academic degree programs offered through the...
offers a Masters and Ph.D. in History of Science through its Department of History. - Princeton UniversityPrinceton UniversityPrinceton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
has a program in the History of Science. - Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteRensselaer Polytechnic InstituteStephen Van Rensselaer established the Rensselaer School on November 5, 1824 with a letter to the Rev. Dr. Samuel Blatchford, in which van Rensselaer asked Blatchford to serve as the first president. Within the letter he set down several orders of business. He appointed Amos Eaton as the school's...
has a Science and Technology Studies department - Stanford has a History and Philosophy of Science and Technology program.
- Stevens Institute of TechnologyStevens Institute of TechnologyStevens Institute of Technology is a technological university located on a campus in Hoboken, New Jersey, USA – founded in 1870 with an 1868 bequest from Edwin A. Stevens. It is known for its engineering, science, and technological management curricula.The institute has produced leading...
has an undergraduate and graduate program in the History of Science. - University of California, BerkeleyUniversity of California, BerkeleyThe University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
offers a graduate degree in HST through its History program, and maintains a separate sub-department for the field. - University of California, Los AngelesUniversity of California, Los AngelesThe University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
has a relatively large group History of Science and Medicine faculty and graduate students within its History department, and also offers an undergraduate minor in the History of Science. - University of California Santa Barbara has an interdisciplinary graduate program emphasis in Technology & Society through the Center for Information Technology & Society. The history department is affiliated with the emphasis.
- University of FloridaUniversity of FloridaThe University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
has a Graduate Program in 'History of Science, Technology, and Medicine' at the University of Florida provides undergraduate and graduate degrees. - University of MinnesotaUniversity of MinnesotaThe University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
has a Ph.D. program in History of Science, Technology, and Medicine as well as undergraduate courses in these fields. - University of OklahomaUniversity of OklahomaThe University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
has an undergraduate minor and a graduate degree program in History of Science. - University of PennsylvaniaUniversity of PennsylvaniaThe University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
has a program in history and sociology of science. - University of PittsburghUniversity of PittsburghThe University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
's department of history and philosophy of science offers graduate and undergraduate courses. - University of Puget SoundUniversity of Puget SoundThe University of Puget Sound is a private liberal arts college located in the North End of Tacoma, Washington, in the United States...
has a Science, Technology, and Society program, which includes the history of science and technology. - University of Wisconsin–MadisonUniversity of Wisconsin–MadisonThe University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
has one of the largest programs in History of Science, Medicine and Technology, with particular strength in medical history, history of biology, history of science and religion, and environmental history. This program was the first to exist as an independent academic department. It offers M.A. and Ph.D. degrees as well as an undergraduate major. - Wesleyan UniversityWesleyan UniversityWesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
has a Science in Society program. - Yale UniversityYale UniversityYale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
has a program in the History of Science and Medicine.
Prominent historians of the field
- Garland Allen
- Wiebe BijkerWiebe BijkerWiebe E. Bijker is a Dutch professor, chair of the Department of Social Science and Technology at Maastricht University in the Netherlands....
- Peter J. BowlerPeter J. BowlerPeter J. Bowler is a historian of biology who has written extensively on the history of evolutionary thought, the history of the environmental sciences, and on the history of genetics. His 1984 book, Evolution: The History of an Idea is a standard textbook on the history of evolution, and was...
- Janet Browne
- James BurkeJames Burke- Politics :*James F. Burke , United States Representative from Pennsylvania*Séamus Burke , Irish politician and Minister for Local Government 1923 to 1927 in the Government of the 4th Dáil...
- Edwin Arthur Burtt
- Johann BeckmannJohann BeckmannJohann Beckmann was a German scientific author and coiner of the word technology, to mean the science of trades. He was the first man to teach technology and write about it as an academic subject....
- Jim BennettJim Bennett (historian)James Arthur Bennett PhD is a museum curator and historian of science.Jim Bennett is Director of the Museum of the History of Science at Oxford University. he was appointed on 1 October 1994, on the retirement of the previous director, Francis Maddison. He is also a member of the Faculty of...
- Herbert ButterfieldHerbert ButterfieldSir Herbert Butterfield was a British historian and philosopher of history who is remembered chiefly for two books—a short volume early in his career entitled The Whig Interpretation of History and his Origins of Modern Science...
(1900–1979) - Martin Campbell-KellyMartin Campbell-KellyMartin Campbell-Kelly is an English computer scientist based at the University of Warwick who has specialised in the history of computing.Campbell-Kelly is professor emeritus in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Warwick. He is on the editorial board of the IEEE Annals of the...
- Georges CanguilhemGeorges CanguilhemGeorges Canguilhem was a French philosopher and physician who specialized in epistemology and the philosophy of science .-Life and work:...
(1904-1995) - Allan Chapman
- I. Bernard CohenI. Bernard CohenI. Bernard Cohen was the Victor S. Thomas Professor of the history of science at Harvard University and the author of many books on the history of science and, in particular, Isaac Newton....
(1914–2003) - A. C. Crombie (1915–1996)
- Peter Dear
- E. J. Dijksterhuis
- Pierre DuhemPierre DuhemPierre Maurice Marie Duhem was a French physicist, mathematician and philosopher of science, best known for his writings on the indeterminacy of experimental criteria and on scientific development in the Middle Ages...
(1861-1916) - A. Hunter DupreeA. Hunter DupreeAnderson Hunter Dupree is a distinguished American historian and one of the pioneer historians of the history of science and technology in the United States.-Early Education and Education:...
- George DysonGeorge Dyson (science historian)George Dyson is a scientific historian, the son of Freeman Dyson and Verena Huber-Dyson, brother of Esther Dyson, and the grandson of Sir George Dyson. He is the father of Lauren Dyson. When he was sixteen he went to live in British Columbia in Canada to pursue his interest in kayaking and...
- Jacques EllulJacques EllulJacques Ellul was a French philosopher, law professor, sociologist, lay theologian, and Christian anarchist. He wrote several books about the "technological society" and the interaction between Christianity and politics....
- Eugene S. FergusonEugene S. FergusonEugene S. Ferguson was an engineer and historian of technology.After holding a number of engineering positions in manufacturing he moved into engineering education and then the history of technology. His 1977 paper on visual reasoning is frequently cited...
- Peter GalisonPeter GalisonPeter Louis Galison is the Pellegrino University Professor in History of Science and Physics at Harvard University.Galison received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in both Physics and the History of Science in 1983. His publications include Image and Logic: A Material Culture of Microphysics ...
- Sigfried GiedionSigfried GiedionSigfried Giedion was a Bohemia-born Swiss historian and critic of architecture....
- Charles Coulston GillispieCharles Coulston GillispieCharles Coulston Gillispie is an American historian of science, and the Dayton-Stockton Professor of History of Science, Emeritus at Princeton University.The son of Raymond Livingston Gillispie, Gillispie grew up in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania...
- Robert GuntherRobert GuntherRobert Theodore Gunther was a historian of science, zoologist, and founder of the Museum of the History of Science, Oxford....
(1869–1940) - Paul FormanPaul FormanPaul Forman is an historian of science and a curator of the Division of Medicine and Science at the National Museum of American History. Forman's primary research focus has been the history of physics, in which he has helped pioneer the application of cultural history to scientific...
- Donna HarawayDonna HarawayDonna J. Haraway is currently a Distinguished Professor Emerita in the History of Consciousness Department at the University of California, Santa Cruz, United States...
- Peter HarrisonPeter Harrison (historian)Peter Harrison is the Andreas Idreos Professor of Science and Religion, Director of the Ian Ramsey Centre, and a Fellow of Harris Manchester College at Oxford University.-Career:...
- Ahmad Y HassanAhmad Y HassanAhmad Yusuf Al-Hassan is a historian of Arabic and Islamic science and technology, educated in Jerusalem, Cairo and London with a Ph.D. in Mechanical engineering from University College London. He was Dean of Engineering and later President of the University of Aleppo where he founded the...
- John L. HeilbronJohn L. HeilbronJohn Lewis Heilbron, born 17 March 1934, is an American historian of science best known for his work in the history of physics and the history of astronomy...
- Reijer HooykaasReijer HooykaasReijer Hooykaas was a historian of science. He along with Eduard Jan Dijksterhuis were pioneers in professionalizing the history of science in the Netherlands. H...
- David A. HounshellDavid A. HounshellDavid Allen Hounshell is the David M. Roderick Professor of Technology and Social Change in the Department of Social and Decision Sciences, Department of History, and the Department of Engineering and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University....
- Thomas P. HughesThomas P. HughesThomas Parke Hughes is an American Historian of Technology. He is an emeritus professor of history at the University of Pennsylvania and is a visiting professor at MIT and Stanford.He received his Ph.D. from the University of Virginia in 1953....
- Evelyn Fox KellerEvelyn Fox KellerEvelyn Fox Keller is an American physicist, author and feminist. She is currently a Professor of History and Philosophy of Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Keller has also taught at the State University of New York at Purchase, New York University and in the department of...
- Daniel KevlesDaniel KevlesDaniel J. Kevles is an American historian of science. He is currently the Stanley Woodward Professor of History at Yale University, a position he assumed in 2001...
- Robert Kohler
- Alexandre KoyréAlexandre KoyréAlexandre Koyré , sometimes anglicised as Alexander Koiré, was a French philosopher of Russian origin who wrote on the history and philosophy of science.-Life:...
(1892-1964) - Melvin KranzbergMelvin KranzbergMelvin Kranzberg was a professor of history at Case Western Reserve University from 1952 until 1971. He was a Callaway professor of the history of technology at Georgia Tech from 1972 to 1988....
- Thomas KuhnThomas KuhnThomas Samuel Kuhn was an American historian and philosopher of science whose controversial 1962 book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions was deeply influential in both academic and popular circles, introducing the term "paradigm shift," which has since become an English-language staple.Kuhn...
- Bruno LatourBruno LatourBruno Latour is a French sociologist of science and anthropologist and an influential theorist in the field of Science and Technology Studies...
- Simon Lavington
- David C. LindbergDavid C. LindbergDavid C. Lindberg is an American historian of science. His main focus is in the history of medieval and early modern science, especially physical science and the relationship between religion and science. Lindberg is the author or editor of many books and received numerous grants and awards...
- G. E. R. LloydG. E. R. LloydSir Geoffrey Ernest Richard Lloyd is a historian of Ancient Science and Medicine at the University of Cambridge. He is the Senior Scholar in Residence at the Needham Research Institute in Cambridge, England.- Early life :...
- Jane MaienscheinJane MaienscheinDr. Jane Maienschein is an American professor and director of the Center for Biology and Society, at Arizona State University.-Education:...
- Anneliese MaierAnneliese MaierAnneliese Maier was a German historian of science.- Biography :Anneliese Maier was the daughter of the philosopher Heinrich Maier . She studied natural sciences and philosophy from 1923 to 1926 at the universities in Berlin and Zurich...
- Leo MarxLeo MarxLeo Marx is a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an author known for his works in the field of American studies. Marx's work in American studies examines the relationship between technology and culture in 19th and 20th century America. He graduated from Harvard University...
- Lewis MumfordLewis MumfordLewis Mumford was an American historian, philosopher of technology, and influential literary critic. Particularly noted for his study of cities and urban architecture, he had a broad career as a writer...
(1895-1990) - Otto Neugebauer (1899–1990)
- William R. Newman
- Ronald NumbersRonald NumbersRonald L. Numbers is an American historian of science. He was awarded the 2008 George Sarton Medal by the History of Science Society for "a lifetime of exceptional scholarly achievement by a distinguished scholar".- Biography :...
- David NyeDavid NyeDavid E. Nye is Professor of American History at the University of Southern Denmark. He is the winner of the 2005 Leonardo da Vinci Medal of the Society for the History of Technology....
- Abraham PaisAbraham PaisAbraham Pais was a Dutch-born American physicist and science historian. Pais earned his Ph.D. from University of Utrecht just prior to a Nazi ban on Jewish participation in Dutch universities during World War II...
(1918–2000) - Trevor PinchTrevor PinchTrevor J. Pinch is a sociologist and former chair of the Science and Technology Studies department at Cornell University.Pinch has a degree in Physics from the Imperial College London and a PhD in Sociology from the University of Bath...
- Theodore Porter
- Lawrence M. PrincipeLawrence M. PrincipeLawrence M. Principe is the Drew Professor of the Humanities at Johns Hopkins University in the Department of History of Science and Technology and the Department of Chemistry. He earned undergraduate degrees at the University of Delaware and did his graduate work at Indiana University Lawrence M....
- Raul RojasRaul RojasRaul Rojas is a retired Mexican American featherweight boxer.He accumulated a record of 38 wins , 7 losses and 2 draws. On March 28, 1968, Rojas defeated Enrique Higgins to win the WBA Featherweight title, which Vicente Saldivar had vacated after announcing his retirement. He lost the title on...
- Michael RuseMichael RuseMichael Ruse is a philosopher of biology at Florida State University, and is well known for his work on the creationism/evolution controversy and the demarcation problem in science...
- A. I. SabraA. I. SabraAbdelhamid I. Sabra is a retired professor of the history of science specializing in the history of optics and science in medieval Islam....
- Jan SappJan SappJan Sapp is an historian of biology at York University, Canada. His writings focus especially on evolutionary biology beyond the traditional neo-Darwinian framework, and emphasize the fundamental importance of symbiosis and horizontal gene transfer in heredity and evolution...
- George SartonGeorge SartonGeorge Sarton was a Belgian chemist and historian who is considered the founder of the discipline of history of science. He left Belgium because of the First World War and settled in the United States where he spent the rest of his life researching and writing about the history of science...
(1884-1956) - Simon SchafferSimon SchafferSimon Schaffer . He is a professor of the history and philosophy of science at the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at Cambridge University and was until recently editor of The British Journal for the History of Science.-Life:Schaffer was born in Southampton and attended Varndean...
- Howard Segel
- Steven ShapinSteven ShapinSteven Shapin is a historian and sociologist of science. He is currently the Franklin L. Ford Professor of the History of Science at Harvard University...
- Wolfgang SchivelbuschWolfgang SchivelbuschWolfgang Schivelbusch is a German scholar of cultural studies, historian, and book author.Schivelbusch studied literature, sociology, and philosophy. He has lived in New York since 1973....
- Charles SingerCharles SingerCharles Joseph Singer was a British historian of science, technology, and medicine.-Early years:Singer was born in Camberwell in London, where his father Simeon Singer was a minister and Hebraist. He was educated at City of London School, University College London, and Magdalen College, Oxford...
- Merritt Roe SmithMerritt Roe SmithMerritt Roe Smith is an American historian, and the Leverett and William Cutten Professor of the History of Technology, at MIT.-Life:Smith graduated from Georgetown University, and Pennsylvania State University with a Ph.D...
- Stephen SnobelenStephen SnobelenDr. Stephen Snobelen, originally from British Columbia, is a professor of the history of science and technology at the University of King's College in Halifax, Nova Scotia...
- John Staudenmaier
- M. Norton WiseM. Norton WiseMatthew Norton Wise is a professor in the history of science at UCLA. He is also the co-director of the UCLA Center for Society and Genetics. He has famously attacked Gross and Levitt's book in which they perceive the obstruction of science by the Academic Left.In the fourth term of the academical...
- Frances A. Yates (1899-1981)
Journals and periodicals
- Annals of Science
- British Journal for the History of ScienceBritish Journal for the History of ScienceThe British Journal for the History of Science is an international academic journal published quarterly by Cambridge University Press in association with the British Society for the History of Science. It was founded under its present title in 1962 but was preceded by the Bulletin of the British...
- CentaurusCentaurus (journal)Centaurus is a peer-reviewed academic journal covering research on the history of mathematics, science, and technology. It is the official journal of the European Society for the History of Science. The journal was established in 1950. The present publisher is John Wiley & Sons. The editor-in-chief...
- Dynamis
- History and Technology (magazine)
- History of Technology (journal)
- Historical Studies in the Physical and Biological SciencesHistorical Studies in the Physical and Biological SciencesHistorical Studies in the Physical and Biological Sciences was an academic journal published by the Office for History of Science and Technology at University of California, Berkeley devoted to the study of the intellectual and social history of the physical sciences and the biological sciences...
(HSPS) - Historical Studies in the Natural SciencesHistorical Studies in the Natural SciencesHistorical Studies in the Natural Sciences is a science journal published by University of California Press, in Berkeley, California on behalf of the Office for History of Science and Technology, University of California, Berkeley...
(HSNS) - ICON
- IEEE Annals of the History of ComputingIEEE Annals of the History of ComputingThe IEEE Annals of the History of Computing is a quarterly journal published by the IEEE Computer Society. It contains peer-reviewed articles and other contributions on the history of computing, computer science and computer hardware by computer scientists and historians...
- IsisIsis (journal)Isis is an academic journal published by University of Chicago Press. It focuses on the history of science, history of medicine, and the history of technology, as well as their cultural influences, featuring both original research articles as well as extensive book reviews and review essays.It was...
- Journal of the History of Biology
- Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied SciencesJournal of the History of Medicine and Allied SciencesThe Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences is a quarterly academic journal, originally published by the Yale University Department of the History of Medicine and now continued by Oxford University Press. It covers research on early medicine....
- Notes and Records of the Royal SocietyNotes and Records of the Royal SocietyNotes and Records of the Royal Society is an international journal which publishes original research in the history of science, technology and medicine up to and including the 21st century...
- Osiris
- Science & Technology Studies
- Science in Context
- Science, Technology, & Human Values
- Social Studies of Science
- Technology and CultureTechnology and CultureTechnology and Culture is a quarterly academic journal founded in 1959. It is an official publication of the Society for the History of Technology, whose members routinely refer to it as "T&C." Besides scholarly articles, the journal publishes reviews of books and museum exhibitions. Occasionally,...
- Transactions of the Newcomen Society
- Historia MathematicaHistoria MathematicaHistoria Mathematica: International Journal of History of Mathematics is an academic journal on the history of mathematics published by Elsevier. It was established by Kenneth O. May in 1971 as the free newsletter Notae de Historia Mathematica, but by its sixth issue in 1974 had turned into a full...
- Bulletin of the Scientific Instrument Society
See also
- Science and technology in the United StatesScience and technology in the United StatesThe United States came into being around the Age of Enlightenment , a period in which writers and thinkers rejected the superstitions of the past. Instead, they emphasized the powers of reason and unbiased inquiry, especially inquiry into the workings of the natural world...
- Technological and industrial history of the United States
- Science and technology in ArgentinaScience and technology in ArgentinaThe most important aspects of science and technology in Argentina are concerned with medicine, nuclear physics, biotechnology, nanotechnology, space and rocket technology and several fields related to the country's main economic activities....
- Science and technology in CanadaScience and technology in CanadaScience and technology in Canada consists of three distinct but closely related phenomena:* the diffusion of technology in Canada,* scientific research in Canada* innovation, invention and industrial research in Canada...
Professional societies
- The British Society for the History of ScienceThe British Society for the History of ScienceThe British Society for the History of Science was founded in 1947. It is Britain's largest learned society devoted to the history of science, technology, and medicine. The society's aim is to bring together people with interests in all aspects of the field, and to publicise relevant ideas within...
(BSHS) - History of Science SocietyHistory of Science SocietyThe History of Science Society is the primary professional society for the academic study of the history of science.It was founded in 1924 by George Sarton and Lawrence Joseph Henderson, primarily to support the publication of Isis, a journal of the history of science Sarton had started in 1912....
(HSS) - Newcomen SocietyNewcomen SocietyThe Newcomen Society is a British learned society formed to foster the study of the history of engineering and technology. It was founded in London in 1920 and takes its name from Thomas Newcomen, one of the inventors associated with the early development of the steam engine, who is widely...
- Society for the History of TechnologySociety for the History of TechnologyThe Society for the History of Technology, or SHOT, is the primary professional society for historians of technology. Founded in 1958, its flagship publication is the journal Technology and Culture...
(SHOT) - Society for the Social Studies of Science (4S)
- Scientific Instrument Society
External links
- Science and Education in Argentina
- The History of Science Society's "Guide to the Profession"
- A page of Science, Technology, and Society links.
- What's wrong with "technology as applied science?"
- History of Science and Technology - Resources for Science Learning, The Franklin InstituteFranklin InstituteThe Franklin Institute is a museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and one of the oldest centers of science education and development in the United States, dating to 1824. The Institute also houses the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial.-History:On February 5, 1824, Samuel Vaughn Merrick and...