Sundry times and sundry places

Abstract

Essays like those of Montaigne, Francis Bacon, and Charles Lamb are sceptical, witty or fanciful, drawing the reader into thinking freshly about topics that seemed to be unproblematic. Collections of essays, by young Turks with an agenda or by sages looking back, may be inflammatory, like Essays and Reviews 1860, that introduced Biblical criticism to English speakers, or more mellow, looking beyond intellectual fashion and indicating fruitful ways forward (or backwards). This collection is the latter kind, with distinguished authors providing readers with visions of what historians of science do and what history of science is, might, or should be about. The essays are thematic but broadly chronological, beginning with ancient Iraq (Mesopotamia) and ending in the contemporary USA. They stand alone, but are coherent in their focus upon the theme: what sort of activity is/was what we call science, and how was it perceived by those practicing it, using it, witnessing it, or reading about it. They thus have much in common with the contributions of Henry Brougham or Thomas Macaulay to the Edinburgh Review and with scientific essays, where a distinguished practitioner reviews the recent progress and problems in a particular branch of science. This collection, then, will be an excellent way into the field for undergraduate or graduate students and makes refreshing and stimulating reading for all working in History and Philosophy of Science, Medicine, and Technology. It is easy to put on blinkers and narrow one’s gaze, and this will open perspectives for both the experienced and the tyro. While not perhaps in the same league as the classic essayists, and more focused, the team have avoided jargon and the book will be accessible not only to specialists but to more general readers. They are in general agreement that what we call science, with its close focus upon the material world, its naturalism, careers and professions, institutions, and group feeling, is a nineteenth-century creation, like the nation states and political