The Evolution of Knowledge: Rethinking Science for the Anthropocene

Jürgen Renn

Published by Princeton University Press 2020

The Evolution of Knowledge

Rethinking Science for the Anthropocene

Jürgen Renn

https://doi.org/10.1515/9780691185675

Overview
Contents

About this book

A groundbreaking a new framework for understanding the history of the development of human knowledge.

A fundamentally new approach to the history of science and technology

This book presents a new way of thinking about the history of science and technology, one that offers a grand narrative of human history in which knowledge serves as a critical factor of cultural evolution. Jürgen Renn examines the role of knowledge in global transformations going back to the dawn of civilization while providing vital perspectives on the complex challenges confronting us today in the Anthropocene—this new geological epoch shaped by humankind.

Renn reframes the history of science and technology within a much broader history of knowledge, analyzing key episodes such as the evolution of writing, the emergence of science in the ancient world, the Scientific Revolution of early modernity, the globalization of knowledge, industrialization, and the profound transformations wrought by modern science. He investigates the evolution of knowledge using an array of disciplines and methods, from cognitive science and experimental psychology to earth science and evolutionary biology. The result is an entirely new framework for understanding structural changes in systems of knowledge—and a bold new approach to the history and philosophy of science.

Written by one of today's preeminent historians of science, The Evolution of Knowledge features essays on historiographical themes, a glossary of key terms, and practical insights on global issues ranging from climate change to digital capitalism. This incisive book also serves as an invaluable introduction to the history of knowledge.

Author / Editor information

Jürgen Renn is a director at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin where, together with his group, he researches structural changes in systems of knowledge. His aim is to develop a theoretical understanding of knowledge evolution, taking into account its epistemic, social, and material dimensions. His books include The Formative Years of Relativity: The History and Meaning of Einstein's Princeton Lectures and The Road to Relativity: The History and Meaning of Einstein's "The Foundation of General Relativity" (both Princeton).

Reviews

"In this exceptional book, Renn provides a general and penetrating in-depth view of the evolution of human knowledge from its roots in simple daily practices to the most abstract scientific theories, offering a breakthrough in the way the history of science is understood."—Rivka Feldhay, author of Galileo and the Church

"For a long time, historians of science have shied away from grand overarching narratives, concentrating instead on specialized microhistories. This book boldly counteracts this trend, offering a new framework for a history of knowledge able to cope with the present-day challenges of the Anthropocene."—Ana Simões, coauthor of Neither Physics nor Chemistry: A History of Quantum Chemistry

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Explanatory Boxes Publicly Available Download PDF	viii
The Story of This Book Publicly Available Download PDF	ix
PART 1. WHAT IS SCIENCE? WHAT IS KNOWLEDGE?
Chapter 1: History of Science in the Anthropocene Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	3
Chapter 2: Elements of a Historical Theory of Human Knowledge Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	23
PART 2. HOW KNOWLEDGE STRUCTURES CHANGE
Chapter 3: The Historical Nature of Abstraction and Representation Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	37
Chapter 4: Structural Changes in Systems of Knowledge Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	65
Chapter 5: External Representations at Work Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	87
Chapter 6: Mental Models at Work Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	103
Chapter 7: The Nature of Scientific Revolutions Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	118
PART 3. HOW KNOWLEDGE STRUCTURES AFFECT SOCIETY AND VICE VERSA
Chapter 8: The Economy of Knowledge Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	145
Chapter 9: An Economy of Practical Knowledge Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	170
Chapter 10: Knowledge Economies in History Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	190
PART 4. HOW KNOWLEDGE SPREADS
Chapter 11: The Globalization of Knowledge in History Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	247
Chapter 12: The Multiple Origins of the Natural Sciences Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	280
Chapter 13: Epistemic Networks Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	301
PART 5. ON WHAT KNOWLEDGE OUR FUTURE DEPENDS
Chapter 14: Epistemic Evolution Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	323
Chapter 15: Exodus from the Holocene Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	355
Chapter 16: Knowledge for the Anthropocene Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	377
Chapter 17: Science and the Challenges of Humanity Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	408
Glossary Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	417
Notes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	435
References Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	469
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	543