Studia Historiae Scientiarum

The Activity Report of the PAU Commission on the History of Science in 2022/2023

2023-10-04T18:17:09+02:00

The activity of the PAU Commission on the History of Science in the academic year 2022/2023 was discussed.

Lists of scientific meetings, conferences, scientific sessions and seminars as well as new publications were presented.

Under the Spell of Distant Landscapes: On the Lives and Work of a Few Famous Hungarian Travellers and Explorers after 1945 – an Introduction to the Topic for English-Speaking Readers

2023-10-04T18:08:00+02:00

All travellers and explorers have always had the desire and the ambition to discover, for different reasons and motivations, remote and unknown lands. Hungarian travellers and explorers are no exception here. Eminent Hungarian Orientalists, archaeologists, geographers, as well as anthropologists, geologists, zoologists and botanists, and other brave and adventurous scientists, have become justly recognised in recent centuries, even worldwide, for their oeuvres and their scientific achievements.

After 1945, travel opportunities in socialist Hungary became more limited, and Hungarian scientists and researchers could embark on their expeditions only with great difficulty, overcoming many obstacles and with scarce financial resources.

In this study, I introduce five such brave and determined Hungarian travellers: Dénes Balázs: geographer and karst researcher, János Balogh: biologist, ecologist and professor, Steve Bezuk: engineer and extreme sportsman, who lived in the United States, Ödön Jakabos: Transylvanian writer and “Székely pilgrim”, and finally, Tibor Székely: travel writer, museologist and Esperantist from Vojvodina.

They all – through their individual scientific achievements, discoveries, perseverance and human attitude – have become worthy heirs of the outstanding Hungarian explorers and travellers of the past centuries.

The Evolutionary Transformation of the Journal. Part 10

2023-10-03T16:05:00+02:00

The article outlines the tenth phase of the development of the journal “Studia Historiae Scientiarum” (previously “Prace Komisji Historii Nauki PAU” / “Proceedings of the PAU Commission on the History of Science”).

Information is provided on the following matters: the journal’s evaluation by the “ICI Master Journal List 2021” (released at the end of 2022), the evaluation by the CWTS Journal Indicators 2022 (5 June 2023), the evaluation by the SCImago Journal Rankings 2022 (based on the data from Scopus released on April 2023), and the evaluation by Scopus 2022 (released on 5 June 2023).

Additionally, the number of foreign authors and reviewers of the current volume of the journal is quoted.

An Update of the Paper, ‘On known and less known relations of Leonhard Euler with Poland’ (DOI: 10.4467/23921749SHS.16.005.6148)

2023-10-04T11:42:43+02:00

In this note we publish a short letter from Leonhard Euler’s son, Johann Albrecht Euler, the Secretary of the Imperial Academy in St. Petersburg, to Marcin Poczobutt-Odlanicki, the Vilnius astronomer. The fate of this letter seemed unknown, but we know its content now. The main news in this correspondence was the discovery of a comet by the astronomer Anders Johan Lexell.

A New Proposal for the Periodization of the History of Botany in Poland

2023-10-04T12:07:58+02:00

Periodization is used to divide a given branch of science into shorter, relatively homogeneous periods. In the first part of the present work, several previous periodizations of the history of botany in Poland are analyzed. The periodization by Stanisław Bonifacy Jundziłł (1761–1847), a clergyman, botanist, and later a botany professor at the University of Vilna (Vilnius), was based on political events, such as the beginnings of the reign of kings, as well as events related to the organization of science in Poland. Franciszek (Franz) Herbich (1791–1865), a military doctor and botanist, proposed two eras in the history of botany in Galicia (part of Poland under Austrian rule). He based the demarcation of these epochs on the activity of Willibald Besser (1784–1842), an eminent botanist working in Galicia. Josef Armin Knapp (1843–1899), a member of the Physiographic Commission of the Scientific Society of Kraków, distinguished five periods on the basis of events in the history of botany in Poland. Bolesław Hryniewiecki (1875–1963), professor of systematics and phytogeography at the University of Warsaw as well as a keen historian of botany, was the author of several periodizations. In the periodization proposal of 1927, he distinguished five periods, in the proposal of 1933 – six periods, and in the proposal of 1948 – only three ones. His proposals were based mainly on political events. Władysław Szafer (1886–1970), one of the most outstanding Polish botanists of his time, co-author of the project of nature protection in the world, who was interested in the history of botany, published his own attempt at periodization. He divided the history of botany in Poland into 10 periods, which were not distinguished on the basis of a uniform criterion. Zdzisław Kosiek (1920–1997), a historian of agriculture and long-time director of the Main Library of the Agricultural University in Kraków, divided the history of botany in Poland into five periods on the basis of political events. All the above proposals were based on criteria mostly unrelated to the history of the plant science in Poland, like the reign of kings, political events abroad, political events in Poland, or foreign events in science.

The basis of the present proposal for the periodization of the history of botany in Poland is an analysis of the biographies of 1,773 botanists and amateur botanists who were active in Poland in the past. (These biographies were prepared for the “Biographical Dictionary of Polish Botanists” (in press).) In this way, within botany one could distinguish specialties in which these botanists operated, and the periods in which these specialties were dominant among botanists. The result was a demarcation of periods in which botanists tended to cultivate a given branch (specialty) of botany. The periodization covers the period from the mid-14^th century, when the first Polish work containing information about plants was written, to 2022, when the last botanist included in the study died.

This periodization proposal divides the history of botany in Poland into six phases: 1 – from around the mid-14^th century to the last quarter of the 16^th century (medicinal botany), 2 – until the last quarter of the 18^th century (the oldest publications on the flora), 3 – until around the middle of the 19th century (In that period a significant part of the botanical output was the floristic subject matter.), 4 – until the end of the 19^th century (the beginning of modern botanical research), 5 – covered the first two quarters of the 20^th century (This phase was characterized by extremely increased activity in all fields of botany.) The 6^th period covers the last 50 years of the 20^th century and the first 22 years of the 21^st century.

Due to legal regulations on the protection of personal data, it was not possible to analyze the biographies of living botanists and the accessible data could not be compared with corresponding data from previous phases. For this reason the analysis concerning this period is considerably limited.

Between Biology and Culture. Polish Reflections on the Concept of Race in the Nineteenth Century

2023-10-04T13:03:27+02:00

In the nineteenth century, the Polish reflection on race and derivative terms was strongly influenced by the Western thought. New achievements and terminology in the field of natural sciences were adopted. Gradually, there was a change of look at peoples, their origin and diversity. In the Enlightenment, while hierarchizing humankind, its biological variety was emphasized. The Romanticism focused on human culture and spirituality. The Positivism, in turn, based on the achievements of natural sciences, saw the basis for evaluation of human groups in biological criteria. The state of contemporary ideas and knowledge favoured the formulation of various racial theories, which also had their own political context. The analysis of Polish sources made it possible to show the specificity of the domestic view in this field. It was often critical, but also approving the division of humankind into lower and higher races. This resulted from the adoption of a Eurocentric point of view. Historiosophy, seeking factors determining a historical role of a given race, also contributed to the search for differences between the white nations of Europe.

The Connections Between the Lvov-Warsaw School and the University in Poznań

2023-10-04T13:33:47+02:00

The Lvov-Warsaw School in Philosophy – as the very name suggests – was connected mainly with two academic centers: universities in Lvov and Warsaw. However, it had a broader impact. The members of this school were active also at other universities, in particular in Cracow, Vilnius and Poznań. The aim of the paper is to present and analyze the connections of Lvov-Warsaw School with the university in Poznań.

Mikhail Ziegler, the First Professor of Metallurgy at Warsaw Polytechnic, and His Contribution for Developing our Knowledge about Steels

2023-10-04T13:49:33+02:00

The article presents results of research on the origin and development of scientific schools in the field of metallurgy in Eastern Europe at the turn of the 19^th–20^th centuries, associated with the scientific and pedagogical activities of the famous scientist Professor Mikhail Karlovich Ziegler in the higher technical educational institutions of Warsaw (Warsaw Polytechnic Institute of Emperor Nicholas II), Kharkiv (Kharkov Technological Institute of Emperor Alexander III), St. Petersburg (Petrograd Polytechnic Institute) and Moscow (Moscow Mining Academy).

The main facts of the biography of this scientist and educator are given. The stages of formation of M.K. Ziegler as a personality and a scientist against the backdrop of occurring historical processes are shown. The Soviet period of his activity was considered separately.

The scientific achievements of Professor Ziegler in the field of steel metallurgy, in particular, in determining the strength of steels depending on the conditions of their crystallization, studying the diffusion of impurities in steels, which became the foundation for the development of continuous casting technology, i.e.one of the most important world inventions of the 20^th century, are systematized and analyzed.

His organizational and educating contribution for the training of scientific and engineering personnel for the metallurgical industry is also estimated.

The article includes interesting forgotten and little-known facts from the history of metallurgical science and the training of the higher engineering and technical personnel in educational institutions located on the territory of modern Ukraine and Poland.

The Portraits of Foreign Institutions Supporting Scientific and Cultural Activity on the Pages of a Yearbook “Science and Letters in Poland” and National Culture Fund

2023-10-04T14:08:34+02:00

In 1928, the National Culture Fund was established in Poland. It was a public institution, established at the instigation of the respected educational and scientific activist Stanisław Michalski, and supported by Józef Piłsudski and the President of the Republic of Poland, Ignacy Mościcki.

The article presents specific portraits: the analyses of foreign institutions, supporting scientific and cultural creativity, which were published in the yearbook “Nauka Polska”. The article shows the similarities and differences between the Polish Fund and the foreign institutions in terms of organisation and practice.

An Outline of Botanical and Mycological Research on Babia Góra Mt.

2023-10-04T14:54:06+02:00

The paper presents the history of botanical research on Babia Góra, one of the most valuable wilderness areas in Poland.

The first published information about the local plants can be found in the writings by Jan Długosz (15^thcentury), as well as in studies by Marcin from Urzędów (16^th century) and Syreniusz (17^th century). In the nineteenth century, especially in its second half, studies providing data of scientific value on the local vascular plants, spore plants, and fungi (including lichens) have been published.

Among the famous people, exploring the nature of Babia Góra at that time, were Stanisław Staszic, Feliks Berdau, Willibald Besser, Pál Kitaibel, Eugeniusz Janota, Antoni Rehman, Josef August Schultes, Albrecht von Sydow, and others. However, it is Hugo Zapałowicz, who is considered to be a discoverer of Babia Góra for science. In 1880, he published the first extensive monograph devoted to the vegetation of Babia Góra.

With the establishment of a nature reserves there in the 1920s, and the natural park (in the second half of the 20^th century), the research on flora of this mountain massif became extensive and systematic.

The authors of the first monographs on the vegetation of Babia Góra in the 20^th century were Edward Ralski and Jan Walas.

Activity of the Committee of History of Mathematics at the Main Board of the Polish Mathematical Society in 1977–2000

2023-10-04T15:46:17+02:00

In the article, we present operation of the Commission for the History of Mathematics appointed by the Main Board of the Polish Mathematical Society. From 1997 to 2000, the Committee was continuously chaired by Dr. Zofia Pawlikowska-Brożek, PhD in mathematics at the Jagiellonian University in the field of History of Mathematics, a student of an outstanding mathematician and respected teacher, Professor Dr hab. Zdzisław Opial (1930–1974).

Based on the documents, that the author received from the Chair of the Commission, we present how the activities of the Commission contributed to initiation of research on the history of mathematics, and to e creation of a professional community of historians of mathematics in Poland.

The history of mathematics has been a discipline well known in Kraków since the times of Ludwik A. Birkenmajer (1855–1929). His activities were successfully continued by Z. Opial. The issues of Kraków center for history of mathematics were presented by Domoradzki 2020; and Kokowski 2020, among others.

An important inspiration for the activities of the Committee were initiatives undertaken by the Department of History of Science, Education, and Technology of the Polish Academy of Sciences in agreement with the Committee of the History of Science and Technology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, in which the Chairwoman of the Committee actively participated.

The materials presented in the work cover also the period before the establishment of the Commission for the History of Mathematics.

Reductionism Debate in Molecular Biology: Max Delbrück’s Complementarity Approach

2023-10-04T16:46:34+02:00

In this paper, I address Max Delbrück’s conceptual and experimental importance for molecular biology (henceforth MB) origins. In particular, his complementarity approach and its anti-reductive implications on the (epistemic) reductionism debate in MB.

Regarding Delbrück’s conceptual and experimental importance, I examine his influence on the development of MB by exploring a shift of his interests from physics to biology. Particularly, I outline his central role in “The Phage Group”, the informal group of scientists examining the origin of hereditary life using bacteriophages as their experimental model of choice. Delbrück and “The Phage Group” greatly influenced the development of MB, which culminated with the shared 1969 Nobel Prize for the discoveries regarding replication mechanism and genetic structure of viruses.

Moreover, I examine Delbrück’s complementarity approach towards biological explanations. The complementarity in biology assumes that “biological phenomena might require the employment of descriptions that are mutually exclusive yet jointly necessary for understanding life processes” (McKaughan 2011, p. 11). I explore Delbrück’s complementarity approach, in particular the debate between the reductive and anti-reductive interpretations of it. I argue for the latter interpretation by suggesting that Delbrück advanced an anti-reductive view towards biological explanations by advocating for independent status of explanations of various biological disciplines. Furthermore, I address the complementarity approach in the light of the anti-reductive interpretation in the recent developments in MB, particularly, the potentiality of finding the complementarity approach in systems biology, epigenetics, and boundary selection.

The Misrepresentation of Petri Dish, as “petri” Dish, in the Scientific Literature

2023-10-04T17:11:04+02:00

The Petri dish is, without a doubt, a very basic, yet important and popular tool in microbiological and other biomedical experiments. It serves primarily as a support or structural platform for placing, growing or testing biological specimens, whether these be microbiological, animal, plant or human.

Given its size, usually about 10 cm in diameter, the Petri dish is an ideal platform for cellular and tissue cultures.

Despite the commonality of Petri dishes, quite surprisingly, there is a pervasive error throughout the biomedical literature, namely its misspelling as “petri” dish. This is not a trivial issue since this dish is named after a scientist, Julius Richard Petri (1852–1921), so the upper-case “P” should not be represented as a lower-case “p”.

It is important to alert students and seasoned biomedical researchers, as well as the wider public, who might use this term, about the need to use the term Petri accurately, in order to respect its historical foundation.

To garner some appreciation of the extent of this error in the biomedical literature, a 2022 search on PubMed for either “Petri dish” or “petri dish” revealed 50 search results, 24 (or 48%) of which were of the latter, erroneous form in titles or abstracts. This suggests that the indicated error, which is in need of correction, may be widely pervasive in the biomedical literature.

On Symmetry in Physical Phenomena, Symmetry of an Electric Field and a Magnetic Field

2023-10-03T16:39:53+02:00

In the work, the classical concept of symmetry limited to geometric objects (figures, solids), which originated from ancient Greece, has been extended to allow for symmetry studies in other types of objects. By introducing concepts of limit point groups and kinematic elements, which characterize a studied object, it was determined what types of symmetries an electric field and a magnetic field exhibit. It was established that, in order for a phenomenon to occur, a characteristic symmetry of a medium must be consistent with the characteristic symmetry of the phenomenon occurring in it. It was also determined that elements of symmetry of causes must be reflected in the symmetry of the induced effects.

Ideological, Political, and Philosophical Foundations of Science and Industrial Policy of the German Green Party in the 1980 and 1990: the Case of “Soft Chemistry” (Sanfte Chemie)

2023-10-04T16:18:23+02:00

Sanfte Chemie, or soft chemistry, is a scientific and philosophical concept developed in the 1980s under the auspices of the German Green Party (Die Grünen). Its purpose was to thoroughly reconstruct not only the chemical industry but also chemistry as a science in the spirit of environmentalism. Soft chemistry followers wanted to forge a new scientific method and criticized what they called a Baconian-Cartesian paradigm in the philosophy of science. Even though the sanfte Chemie project ceased to be endorsed by the Green Party in the 1990s because of its radicalism, the history of epistemological foundations, on which the soft chemistry was built, gives us a privileged insight into a vision of chemical sciences as advocated by early proponents of sustainability and pioneers of environmental movements.

The article analyses sources of sanfte Chemie, highlighting plurality and complexity of scientific, philosophical, political and ideological traditions that served as its basis. The study of the eco-critical narratives on empirical sciences allows us to better understand subsequent political choices concerning science, industry and the environment in Germany. In particular, the article shows that the tradition on which sanfte Chemie was built, gives it the advantage over later concepts, such as green chemistry, that lack philosophical depth.

The purpose of the article is to question the relation between the philosophy of science and the practice of science and ponder whether different chemistry is possible at all.

Why Nicolaus Copernicus (1473–1543) Is Still Interesting? Nicolaus Copernicus’s 550th Birth Anniversary and 150th Anniversary of the Opening Meeting of the Academy of Arts and Sciences in Kraków

2023-10-03T17:09:13+02:00

The article is an extension of the plenary lecture delivered on February 16, 2023 in the Hall of the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences on the occasion of Nicolaus Copernicus’s 550th birth anniversary and the 150th anniversary of the first public meeting of the Academy of Arts and Sciences in Krakow.

An answer to the key question: “Why are we still interested in Nicolaus Copernicus?” is formulated. It concerns the multidimensional space of issues, including: man, society, culture (science, theology and religion, fine arts), ideas, concepts, time – space. And all of the above is discussed in changing historical contexts.

This subject is approached from the perspective of the methodology of historical sciences and the history of science, history, history and philosophy of science, history of ideas, scientific cosmology and general cultural cosmology, history of art and culture, history of theology and religion, history of memory, political and geopolitical history, sociology and cultural studies: the cultural role of great heroes / geniuses and collective work in culture, as well as the role of occasional celebrations and the figure of Copernicus as an “advertising brand”.

A Critical Comment on T.S. Kuhn’s Views about the So-called Copernican Revolution and Several Current Prejudices – Barriers in Scientific Communities

2023-10-03T18:30:05+02:00

The article is a case study on the views of the famous T.S. Kuhn about the so-called Copernican revolution. Generally, Kuhn is presented as a very successful historian and philosopher of science: an author of world bestsellers. The division among his supporters, i.e. about so-called left-wing and right-wing Kuhnians, is recalled, and the fact that Kuhn himself vehemently dissociated from a large proportion of his adherents. It is also noted here, that in the last 30 years, in addition to abundant hagiographic literature on T. S. Kuhn, there have also been a few critical studies of Kuhn’s achievements.

The rest of the article presents the author’s critical analysis of Kuhn’s views on the so-called Copernican Revolution, which formed the basis of Kuhn’s scheme of scientific development presented in The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (1962); i.e. the world’s most famous monograph in social sciences and humanities so far.

The criticism encompasses a genesis, content and reception of Kuhn’s views and the development of his interpretations. The analysis is carried out by the means of methodology of historical sciences and a scientific method, which the author describes as the hypothetico-deductive method of correspondence thinking.

The criticism is based on the author’s current publications (developed here further on), which were sadly unnoticed by the researchers, although presented in the world center for the Copernican research, and are available on the Internet freely.

This fact leads the author to the assumption that international Kuhnian research is underdeveloped seriously and that strong prejudices – barriers may exist in scientific circles, such as, e.g., primacy of number of citations (and other bibliometric indicators) over content analysis, the Matthew effect, the effect of alleged and actual scientific centers and peripheries, some mental remnants of the Cold War, as well as underdevelopment of scientific communication.

Incommensurability Explained in the Terms of Presuppositions. A Comment to Kuhn’s Thesis on Radical Meaning Variance

2023-10-03T22:11:48+02:00

Kuhn’s radical meaning variance thesis implies that scientists, who work in different paradigms cannot understand each other. This, however, seems incredible. The air of paradox can be dispersed once the role of presuppositions in constituting a paradigm is acknowledged. Presuppositions function in the way of the Wittgensteinian ungrounded hinges and often are only implicitly assumed. In the face of recalcitrant puzzles some presuppositions can be made explicit and revised. The mechanism of possible revisions of presuppositions can be accounted for in terms of Hintikka’s interrogative model of scientific inquiry with some amendments.

The model includes three possible reactions to an anomaly: (i) a conservative offer of an auxiliary hypothesis within the current paradigm, (ii) a reinterpretation of puzzling experimental results and non-revolutionary enrichment of the current paradigm with a novel hypothesis, and (iii) a revision of presuppositions that amounts to a full-fledged scientific revolution. The choice depends on the success or failure of more conservative alternatives and the scope of application of the theory under investigation. In the proposed approach, incommensurability does not hinder communication between the proponents of different paradigms. In addition, some other controversial points in Kuhn’s views are explained, like Kuhn’s losses, reproaching conservative attitudes towards anomalies, or the admissibility or inadmissibility of the coexistence of rival paradigms. Last but not least, a link between a paradigm shift and the strive for truth is established.

Thomas Kuhn, Stefan Amsterdamski, and the Cycles of Scientific Development

2023-10-04T12:47:10+02:00

In his most seminal work, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, Thomas S. Kuhn advances a notion that science is embedded in historically contingent constellations of practices and ideas. In this view, history is part and parcel of science. Science develops by transforming that, which it emerges from – a theme later picked up by Polish philosopher of science, Stefan Amsterdamski. Kuhn also noticed important parallels between psychological and historical development. These insights have led him to the conclusion that what scientists do and what the science does are two different things. Scientific development is discontinuous in the sense that it cannot be measured by any external standard. Science is therefore its own judge. This paper identifies critical shortcomings of Kuhn’s theory of psychological development, which most affect his vision of scientific development. Subsequently, the problem of development is recast in terms of dynamic system theory or embodied cognition. The ensuing insights are organized into a cyclical model, with two main trajectories: one creative, the other generative. It is argued that the cyclical approach permits to overcome the dualisms, which plagued Kuhn’s original account (engagement versus criticism, creativity versus rule-following, etc.) and to further develop Amsterdamski’s idea that absent universal norms or standards, criticism and rationality are nonetheless possible.

Journal Evaluation Model of the Pracownia Naukoznawstwa IHN PAN: Update of Journal Evaluation Rules and Journal Scoring in the History of Science in 2023

2023-10-04T17:35:34+02:00

The article presents: a) updating the rules for evaluating journals in the evaluation model developed in the Pracownia Naukoznawstwa IHN PAN (Science Studies and Science-of-Science Unit of the Institute for History of Science, Polish Academy of Sciences), b) scoring journals in the history of science according to the lists of journals of the MNiSW (2017), MEiN (2021), MEiN (2023), PN IHN PAN (2022) and PN IHN PAN (2023), c) comparison of the scoring of journals in history and history of science in the lists of journals: ministerial and PN IHN PAN, as well as Scopus, DOAJ, Index Copernicus International, PKP Preservation Network and Keepers Register.

The conclusion of the article is an open appeal to the Minister of Education and Science to award, in the next update of the ministerial list of journals, 200 points to the journal “Studia Historiae Scientiarum” and 140 to the journal “Kwartalnik Historii Nauki i Techniki”, because these journals, devoted to the history of science, are not inferior in terms of achievements to Polish historical journals, which have already obtained 200 and 140 points by the decision of the Minister of Education and Science of July 17, 2023.

The Completed List of Polish Historical Journals Based on the Journal Evaluation Model Developed by the Pracownia Naukoznawstwa IHN PAN

2023-10-04T17:54:15+02:00

The article is a result of the work started in 2022 and aimed at creating “The List of Polish historical journals, rated by the Pracownia Naukoznawstwa IHN PAN (Science Studies and Science-of-Science Divion of the Institute for History of Science, Polish Academy of Sciences)”. The list contains an integrated and transparent technico-bibliometric evaluation of journals.

The article presents the results of the review of 216 Polish journals in the field of history and archival science, in terms of their technical and bibliometric achievements, as evaluated by the Pracownia Naukoznawstwa IHN PAN (2021) on a scale of 0–200 points.

The results were compared with the ministerial scores according to the Regulation of the Minister of Education and Science of December 21, 2021 and July 17, 2023.