The School of Philosophy, Anthropology and Social Inquiry History and Philosophy of Science

The History of Science

Why did Aristotle think the earth was immobile and located at the centre of the universe? Why did centuries of physicians bleed their patients till they were close to fainting? What factors have heightened child mortality in history? And why did it take until the late 1700s for scientists to begin thinking seriously about the possibility of evolution? These are the kinds of questions addressed by historians of science. We are concerned with that branch of history that studies the development of human beliefs about the structure and operation of the universe and its contents. Some historians of science focus narrowly on conceptual issues: does scientific advance take place evenly or during explosive periods of advance? Others focus on technicalities: how did medieval astronomers predict the date of Easter? And others ask how various scientific controversies have become embroiled with social and political and change: are there links between Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection and the industrial society in which he lived?

The history of science is closely connected with the philosophy of science, in that our judgments about what practices from the past are to be deemed 'scientific' depend on our views about the nature of scientific reasoning. On the other hand, a familiarity with the way scientists actually behave often influences our philosophical preferences. Much the same is true of the sociology of science.

Within the HPS program we make no attempt to cover the whole field, but instead sample a few of its branches, and give students exposure to the problem of recovering, more or less reliably, the ideas of remote thinkers. Kristian Camilleri begins in first year with an introductory course on the history of science which surveys major ideas of the physical world and the cosmos from ancient Greece to the twentieth century. At second and third year level Gerhard Wiesenfeldt looks at the history of the astronomy across a range of different ancient, medieval and early modern cultures, as well as the rise of modern science in Europe in sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. James Bradley and Janet McCalman teach subjects that focus on the history of medicine, psychiatry and the life sciences from the Renaissance to the present. For more information see the History of Medicine webpage.

More information about some of the current and recent research in the history of science at the University of Melbourne can be found in Ancient, Medieval & Early Modern Studies in HPS.

 

We offer one historical subject at level 1:

At levels 2 and 3, we offer the following subject in 2008:

The following subjects may also be offered at level 2 and 3 in subsequent years

 

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