The Zilsel Thesis
Encyclopedia
The Zilsel thesis in the history
and philosophy
of science proposes an explanation for why modern science
emerged in the early 17th century in Western Europe
and not in other places or eras.
Edgar Zilsel
claims that science only emerged when capitalism
emerged in Western Society because "The whole process was imbedded in the advance of early capitalistic society, which weakened collective-mindedness, magical thinking, and belief in authority and which furthered causal rational and quantitative thinking." (Zilsel 2003, 7) This created an environment in which two previously separated social groups could come into contact. These were the academically trained rational thinkers who were always members of the upper classes and what Zilsel calls "superior craftsmen". The academics possessed methodical intellectual training but not practical skills while the craftsmen were skilled in experimentation and causal research but lacked the methodical rational approach acquired from study of the classics.
Zilsel supports his argument with a case study of William Gilbert who, in 1600 and five years before Francis Bacon
's The Advancement of Learning, published the first printed book (on magnetism
) written by an academically trained scholar based almost entirely on actual observation and experiment. Gilbert rejected authority when it differed from observation and rejected superstitious explanations for physical phenomena. Zilsel details the way in which Gilbert drew on the work of Robert Norman, a navigator and compass maker
.
Zilsel also claims that the Renaissance
artist-engineers and their like used "quantitative rules of thumb [that are] the forerunners of the physical laws of modern science".(Zilsel 2003, 14) Explaining the origins of modern scientific laws, Zilsel claims that "The law-metaphor originates in the bible" (Zilsel 2003, 109). That is, the concept of scientific laws has its origins in the biblical idea that human and existence nature is governed by laws decreed by God.
The editors of this collection of his work claim that at the time of his death Zilsel was working towards a book combining his claims on the origins of scientific laws with his thesis on the rise 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 philosophy
Philosophy of science
The philosophy of science is concerned with the assumptions, foundations, methods and implications of science. It is also concerned with the use and merit of science and sometimes overlaps metaphysics and epistemology by exploring whether scientific results are actually a study of truth...
of science proposes an explanation for why modern science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
emerged in the early 17th century in Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
and not in other places or eras.
Edgar Zilsel
Edgar Zilsel
Edgar Zilsel was an Austrian historian and philosopher of science. He is considered to be among the modern "pioneers of the sociology of science".- Life :...
claims that science only emerged when capitalism
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
emerged in Western Society because "The whole process was imbedded in the advance of early capitalistic society, which weakened collective-mindedness, magical thinking, and belief in authority and which furthered causal rational and quantitative thinking." (Zilsel 2003, 7) This created an environment in which two previously separated social groups could come into contact. These were the academically trained rational thinkers who were always members of the upper classes and what Zilsel calls "superior craftsmen". The academics possessed methodical intellectual training but not practical skills while the craftsmen were skilled in experimentation and causal research but lacked the methodical rational approach acquired from study of the classics.
Zilsel supports his argument with a case study of William Gilbert who, in 1600 and five years before Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Albans, KC was an English philosopher, statesman, scientist, lawyer, jurist, author and pioneer of the scientific method. He served both as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England...
's The Advancement of Learning, published the first printed book (on magnetism
Magnetism
Magnetism is a property of materials that respond at an atomic or subatomic level to an applied magnetic field. Ferromagnetism is the strongest and most familiar type of magnetism. It is responsible for the behavior of permanent magnets, which produce their own persistent magnetic fields, as well...
) written by an academically trained scholar based almost entirely on actual observation and experiment. Gilbert rejected authority when it differed from observation and rejected superstitious explanations for physical phenomena. Zilsel details the way in which Gilbert drew on the work of Robert Norman, a navigator and compass maker
Compasssmith
A compasssmith is a person who makes and sells compasses. It is one of the few words in the English language to have three consecutive s's.The first compasssmiths were the ancient Chinese, who were the first to ever put to use the Earth's magnetic field; but not as a navigational aid, but rather as...
.
Zilsel also claims that the Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
artist-engineers and their like used "quantitative rules of thumb [that are] the forerunners of the physical laws of modern science".(Zilsel 2003, 14) Explaining the origins of modern scientific laws, Zilsel claims that "The law-metaphor originates in the bible" (Zilsel 2003, 109). That is, the concept of scientific laws has its origins in the biblical idea that human and existence nature is governed by laws decreed by God.
The editors of this collection of his work claim that at the time of his death Zilsel was working towards a book combining his claims on the origins of scientific laws with his thesis on the rise of science.