S E P T I È M E P A R T I E
DISCUSSION
B. M. K edrov
The history of science is n o t to be reg ard ed as a history of erro rs and delusions nor as a constant disclosing of th e fact th a t our w hole previous know ledge has been, as it w ere, a n entire delusion. Professor R anchi’s lecture does evidence of som ething else: o u r know ledge is becoming m a re and m ore com plete a n d exact, a n d w e a re g ettin g free from our previous delusions. The lectu rer is rig h t in saying th a t dogm at ism is th e ad v ersary of historism , including th e historism in science. In the U.S.S.R., a great conference on historical science and its teach ing was held no t long ago. O ur In stitu te raised th e re problem s reg ard in g n a tu re study an d technology. We m oved th a t th e following courses m ig h t be introduced in to th e institutio n s of higher le a rn in g : I — general history of science a n d technology; II — special history of m athem atics, physics, chem istry, p a rtic u la r departm ents of technology, ag ric u ltu ra l sciences, medicine, a n d iso on; III — m ethods and techniques of historical research (archivistry, m anagem ent o f source m aterials, processing of docum ents, a n d so forth); IV — m ethodology a n d logic of historical in q uiries a n d generalizations.
Those courses ou ght to b e introduced, w e think, according to th e ty p e of a given educational establishm ent and th e specialization of th e stu d en ts trained, a n d — w hat is m ore — in excess of th e plans a n d program m es in force. O ur proposal is em braced in th e following syl labus w here th e above-enum erated subjects hav e 'been m arked by m eans of Roman num erals. By special institutions of hig h er learning we m ean the physieal-mathematicall, chemicall, technological, agricul tu ral, m edical and o th e r natural-technological establishm ents:
Who is being trained
In what sort o f institutions?
special historical philosophic
Specialist in the history
o f science or technology I, II, III, IV I, IV I, III
All the others 11 I I
296 L’en seign em en t de l’h istoire de la science
For th e historians, th e additional course III is n o t needed as it form s a p a rt of th e ir general braining; for the philosophers — correspondingly — th e special course IV is superfluous; for both of them the course II cannot be envisaged as th ey have no specialized training. For those who do not propose to become historians of science and technology th e item s III and IV a re unnecessary.
The realizing of th a t p lan necessitates th e creation of teaching m aterials concerning all those to u r groups of subjects. O ur In stitu te of th e H istory of Science and Technology is now proceeding to fuilfil th a t task.
J. R. Ravetz
I re g re t th a t I m u st disagree w ith Professor Ronchi, perhaps I am still (relatively) young and optim istic. In England and America th e situ atio n for h isto ry of science i:s very favourable. This m ay be because th e tran sitio n from “L ittle Science” to “Big Science” has been v ery rapid, an d th e scientists w ant help in understanding th e ir situation. The young Students I m eet do n o t believe th a t th ey a re learning absolute tru th s, rath er, th e ir a ttitu d e is ev en m ore dangerous — to them all th eir science is techniques and ‘‘conventions”.
In England we now find th a t there are m ore U niversity jobs th an com petent people to filll th em (unfo rtu n ately w e can each take only o ne lectureship); only te n years ago several excellent scholars (including Mason, L illey a n d Cardw ell) w e re unable to find positions as historians of .science.
It seems then, th a t we -can build a h ealth y discipline if we can fin d prom ising stu d en ts to train. O n th is point I m ust again disagree (with Professor Ranchi. There is no doubt th a t a specialist histo rian m ust be com petent to und erstan d the technical m aterial h e studies. Also, he m ust have th e sense of how research proceeds. But it is n o t necessary to be fu lly conversant w ith cu rren t progress in th e analogous field. Indeed, i t is useful, to b e forced to tra in oneself in th e technicalities of a science in a past period, for then one m ay gain a b etter apprecia tion of th e characteristic m ethods and problem s of th e p articu la r science.
W. Jew siew icki
Among m an y interesting problem s talk ed over by th e lecturer th e re a re those concerning the teaching of th e history of science and techno logy and the train in g of the research a n d didactic cadres. The problem s
