Thematic Issue of Teorie vědy/Theory of Science 2010/04:

Historical Epistemology Meets the Human Sciences

Although the title “Philosophy and History of Science” is usually used to designate one field of academic research or training, the connection of philosophical and historical approaches to science is often mainly nominal. In academic practice, we often encounter a distinct divergence, sometimes even antagonism between philosophical analysis and historical description, between theoretical formalism and ahistorical methodology of philosophy on the one hand and descriptive empiricism and narrow specialization of the history of (natural and technical) sciences on the other. “Historical Epistemology” represents a critical alternative to the traditional philosophy and history of science especially in its effort to overcome this segregation. It is an approach, which situates itself within this traditional field and draws on its accomplishments and contributions, yet tries to re-emphasize its central problems and issues in productive interfacing of history and theory. It attempts to disclose the basic knowledge forming mechanisms in different historical epochs, interpret scientific thought within its cultural and social contexts, and pay attention to the interdisciplinary relationships among different disciplines as well as to the relationships between the scientific and non-scientific ways of thinking.  

For this thematic issue we welcome contributions focused upon two main problem areas: philosophical and epistemological studies of historical epistemology as such, as well as applications of this approach in various periods and fields of science and knowledge. In both kinds of texts we wish to address specifically the relationship of historical epistemology and the human sciences.  

Please send 1 page abstracts along with a brief biographical note to the editors (teorievedy@flu.cas.cz) by 31st May 2010. You will be notified of acceptance shortly afterwards. The deadline for manuscripts (in English) will be 1st September. For more details see http://teorievedy.flu.cas.cz.