Philosophical Historiography, Military History, and 2020s Crisis War

The integration of digital technologies into historical research is a global trend; however, its manifestation varies across national academic traditions. This study investigates the explicit articulation and terminological adoption of digital methods in Russian historical science by analyzing the prevalence and dynamics of specific technological terms in a large corpus of publications. We first constructed a controlled thesaurus of 166 digital technologies by manually curating keyphrases from Russia’s primary specialized journal in the field (“Istoricheskaya Informatika”, Historical Informatics). This vocabulary was then used to perform text-mining on two distinct corpora: a broad sample of 95K Russian-language history articles from various journals (2004–2024) and a focused sample of publications on the Great Patriotic War History from the Russian Science Citation Index (RSCI, 2014–2023). Our quantitative analysis reveals the frequency, trends, and thematic context of digital method mentions. The findings highlight a significant disparity between the specialized discourse of “Istoricheskaya Informatika” and the mainstream historical publications, while also identifying specific areas (such as archaeological studies) where certain technologies have gained traction. This research offers a novel, data-driven perspective on the “digital turn” in Russian historiography and contributes to the comparative study of digital humanities’ global development.

ABSTRACT This paper examines scientific research and experiments conducted in colonial Ghana. Science, characterized by investigations to unearth unknowns or provide a better understanding of the known, was central to the European enterprise in Africa in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. This essay explores the evolution of the scientific enterprise in colonial Ghana. The history of scientific infrastructures and experimental science remains underdeveloped in Tropical Africa. I argue that colonial Ghana offered a fertile environment for scientific work. The territory occupied by the British colonial polity presented numerous puzzles that attracted inquisitive minds, making it conducive to various scientific research and experiments. This study investigates selected research field sites and the infrastructures that supported the scientific enterprise in colonial Ghana. Drawing on archival data, the analysis of the essay unfolds in three parts: the initial attempts at scientific investigations in the humanities and social sciences, the contributions of colonial officials and professional anthropologists, and the internationalization of knowledge production within the British Commonwealth. Consequently, the paper provides a distinct and nuanced interpretation of scientific research in late colonial Africa, situating it as part of the post-1945 modernization of the colonial state.

Abstract Thought experiments (TEs) have demonstrated significance in the history of science and philosophy. These are used in advancing, rediscovering, questioning, and learning concepts. In physics, these were used to discover and explain proposed theories, sometimes to question the validity of one. An emerging field in which TEs are used is the field of physics education. This study synthesized the literature in this field by searching through the databases Scopus, ProQuest, and Google Scholar using the keywords ‘thought experiment’ and ‘physics education’. The selection process followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. A total of fifteen studies were chosen and analysed. Results showed that TEs, a tool previously used in modern physics, were successfully implemented in classical physics, which improved conceptual understanding, cognition, and learning strategies. Students were also able to construct and analyse TEs while working in groups and to utilize TEs in solving physics problems. Although shown helpful in the teaching and learning process, TE as a pedagogical tool is not yet fully utilized even in physics education due to teachers’ lack of knowledge and confidence. Studies on education have been initiated, but how teachers utilize it remains underexplored. Interesting beliefs and practices may be brought to the world for educators to learn from if this gap is addressed.

Prognosis is an important aspect of any scientific culture. Speculation and imagination about future knowledge, social organization and technology pervade the practice of science and lend it aim and direction (or at least the appearance of direction). This article is about the development of prognosis in the fiction and popular-scientific writing of Jane Webb Loudon (1800-58), a writer familiar within the history of science for her publications in botany and gardening, if not for her romantic novel The Mummy!, one of the earliest examples of the genre later known as science fiction. I argue that Webb Loudon viewed scientific activity as declining and flourishing throughout human history, and that she anticipated the science of her time would 'resuscitate' knowledge and even political structures of past eras (like ancient Egypt). Following the work of Jim Endersby and other historians of science who have worked to reintegrate the role of fiction in our understanding of science culture, I argue that Webb Loudon's efforts to promote and diffuse her understanding of science and its relation to the future (and past) ought be viewed as informing the cultural meaning of science in the nineteenth century.

Abstract Science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM) disciplines have long grappled with racism and racial overrepresentation, prompting recent critical approaches to the possibilities of enacting systemic change that go beyond Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives focused on recruitment and retention. To this end, scholars have emphasized the importance of critical histories of science for bringing into sharp focus how the ongoing legacies of (settler) colonialism reproduce racialized hierarchies of knowledge and practice in STEMM. In line with these approaches, this paper offers the tripartite framework of scientific racism, white supremacy, and extractivism as a pedagogical tool for translating scholarship in critical histories of science and related fields to STEMM audiences in an effort to contribute to anti-racist education. First, we situate our intervention at the intersection of design-based research and conceptual methodology, outlining the pedagogical context in which we developed the framework and its objective to foreground a critical approach to history as relevant for the present. Second, we elaborate our framework by defining each of the three concepts and their interrelations. Third, we provide three case studies from different disciplines, namely on nineteenth-century race science, mid-twentieth-century chemistry, and late nineteenth and twentieth-century geosciences, that illustrate how we teach the framework and its applicability to different research areas. Ultimately, our framework emphasizes the foundational role of critical histories and interdisciplinary collaborations across STEMM and the humanities for furthering social justice and anti-racism in STEMM fields.

The supply of experimental materials greatly influences the practice of science. Before the establishment of modern commercial distribution systems for experimental materials, researchers often used mundane substances. The wires of the harpsichord, a representative keyboard instrument of the Baroque era, were used as “multifaceted materials” in physical and chemical experiments from the eighteenth to the nineteenth centuries. Because the wires were made of largely pure iron, they were utilised as a standard substance in permanganometry until their impurities proved experimentally problematic. Although the early wires gradually disappeared from chemical experiments around the beginning of the twentieth century, they were reincarnated as steel wires with the advent of the modern harpsichord and reemerged as actors on the musical stage in the context of Neoclassical music. As a result of shifting practices in the use of harpsichord wires, the concept of a standard substance in titration gradually took shape at the intersection of the histories of science and music.

This essay discusses the history of technology in Russia, focusing on several major developments. Its twofold aim is to provide insights into the current state of research, with a brief reference to the technological history that evolved during the Soviet and post-Soviet periods, and to offer an overview of recent Russian-language publications for an international readership. It focuses on enviro-tech as a prominent research direction in Russia that highlights the ongoing changes in institutional landscapes and thematic priorities. The essay demonstrates that the history of technology in Russia has yet to develop into a fully coherent field of research or education. Research on past technologies has evolved along two still-coexisting paths: a primarily engineering-focused history rooted in traditions of the Soviet period and a more recent interdisciplinary approach situated at the intersection of environmental history, the history of science, and related fields.

The concept of the «soul» originates in ancient philosophy and mythology, yet retains indirect relevance in contemporary scientific discourse. Although modern science often treats it as an epiphenomenon or conceptual atavism, the soul remains foundational for key psychological constructs and is linguistically embedded in disciplines such as psychology, psychiatry, and neuropsychology. This duality reflects a broader disciplinary divergence: while philosophy continues to engage with the soul as a legitimate object of inquiry, psychology, psychiatry, and neuroscience explicitly exclude it from their conceptual frameworks. However, emerging trends in post non classical science and neo classical philosophy suggest a reconsideration of ancient insights in light of new empirical data. Advances in cognitive science and neuroscience have reignited interest in the relationship between brain processes and subjective experience. This has prompted a gradual shift away from the classical Cartesian understanding of the psyche toward novel conceptualizations grounded in: • behavioral neurobiology; • cognitive neuroscience; • integrative neurobiological approaches. These developments are increasingly engaging with pre scientific conceptions of the soul, reevaluating them through the lens of contemporary brain research. The present article traces the evolution of the soul concept across historical and disciplinary boundaries — from mythological origins and ancient philosophical systems to modern cognitive and neuroscientific paradigms. It demonstrates how contemporary neuroscience is fostering a renewed, evidence based dialogue with age old questions about the nature of subjective experience and consciousness, particularly through advances in human brain research.

Necatibey Faculty of Education was officially established as one of the ten regional schools during the tenure of Mustafa Necati (Uğural), the fourth Minister of National Education of the Republic Era, through Law enacted No. 819 on April 22, 1926. It beganits educational activities on April 30, 1932, under the name "Balıkesir Necatibey Teacher Training School." With almost a century of history, Necatibey Faculty of Education has both witnessed and embodied the transformative phases of education in the Republic of Turkey. This study aims to examine in detail the establishment, historical origins, and key functions of the Necatibey Faculty of Education Museum of Science and Educational History, which was founded within the faculty, from the perspective of both the history of science and the history of education. The Museum serves as a bridge between the past and present of educational practices. It houses historical teaching tools and materials that have facilitated education since the faculty's inception, shedding light on the evolution of educational history. Additionally, the museum displays laboratory, experimental, and instructional materials used in disciplines such as biology, physics, chemistry, mathematics, geography, and history, thereby contributing to the history of science. Owing to its comprehensive collection of both educational and scientific historical artefacts, it has been named the Museum of Science and Educational History. The museum was inaugurated on March 16, 2021, coinciding with the 173rd anniversary of Teacher Training Schools in Turkey. The museum’sprimary objectives include promoting science at all levels, documenting the history of the faculty and education, narrating the historical process of teacher training, providing instructional tools for teaching the history of science and education, and serving as a new educational resource for universities and local communities. Aligned with these objectives, the Museum of Science and Educational History serves as a significant space where the past and future of Necatibey Faculty of Education intersect. It functions as a significant platform for cultivating future scientists, educators, and responsible citizens.

2025 is the year UNESCO selected to celebrate 100 years of this novel science, quantum mechanics, based on Heisenberg’s “uncertainty principle” discovery. However, quantum mechanics began with the discovery of quantum packets of energy emission formulated by the German physicist Max Planck, and it incorporated additional discoveries and principles from Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr, Heisenberg, Pauli, de Broglie, and many others in the early 1900s. Since then, many advancements and breakthroughs have been made. Such scientific contributions have influenced the culture and technology of humanity from the 20th century onwards, with the first quantum revolutions bringing innovations in technology and engineering, including the omnipresent light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation (Laser), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), microprocessor manufacturing and design for computers and nuclear energy. Thus, at the beginning of the Second Quantum Revolution in the 21st century, amid a new wave of novel quantum technologies promising to create the 5th Industrial Revolution and transform humanity, a brief history of these marvellous sciences is condensed, connecting the wonders of the new quantum technogenesis that is being forged, linking its past with classical mechanics and also with novel relativistic mechanics. Understanding these developments highlights the significance of quantum technologies shaping our future and what lies ahead for us. This article explores technologies that are presently under research and development (R&D) in the quantum physics realm, including quantum computing, quantum cryptography, quantum sensing and metrology, and quantum simulation. It also discusses emerging careers in the quantum field and the unresolved mysteries that continue to challenge scientists. The discussion follows the ancient griot tradition of storytelling, a method that the distinguished physicist, great professor, and Nobel laureate Richard Feynman encouraged us to use to explain complex scientific ideas.

Abstract This article reads chapter 6 of Huaping Lu-Adler’s Kant, Race, and Racism as a contribution to the contemporary debate about racism and the philosophical canon that began with Peter Park’s Africa, Asia, and the History of Philosophy. Lu-Adler adds to Park’s narrative a detailed analysis of the link between racism and the historiography of philosophy in Kant’s own work, not just in his followers or those who influenced him. By doing so, this article argues, Lu-Adler enables critical philosophers of race to tell a new version of the story about racism in the history of philosophy that preserves the main conclusions drawn by Park, without having to rest so much of the case on an argument about the influence of Christoph Meiners. The second part raises two problems for Lu-Adler’s account, the first relating to the question of methodology and the role of pre-Kantian historian of philosophy Jacob Brucker, and the second relating to Lu-Adler’s account of Kant as an educator who contributed to racist ideology.

Purpose of the study: To establish the type and date of creation of the document identified by Doctor of Historical Sciences B.A. Aznabaev and published by him under the title, “Copy from the list of granted charter to Bashkir of Uransk volost Avduak Sanbaev” (dating from no later than 1584). Research materials: Written source (office documents). Novelty and results of the study: The article examines the validity of the definition of the document identified by Doctor of Historical Sciences B.A. Aznabaev and published by him under the title “Copy from the list of granted charter to Bashkir of Uransk volost Avduak Sanbaev” as a granted charter dating it to the reign of Ivan IV. As a result of the present study of the document’s form and its contents, namely, the restoration of the correct reading of the name of the first voivode of Kazan and the identification of biographical information about the persons mentioned in the document, it was established that the document is the report of the serving man, Osip Arkatov, the clerk Yuri Smirnov and the interpreter Ivan Chubarov regarding the division of arable land “with forests, and hay mowing, and with all kinds of lands” to Avduak Sanbaev and dates from the period between the end of May 1606 and May 21, 1607 (a copy of 1737).

The article examines the problem of developing students’ critical thinking through the study of the history of mathematical discoveries. It emphasizes that, within the modern educational paradigm focused on the competence-based approach, the formation of critical thinking is one of the key objectives of learning. The views of foreign and Ukrainian scholars (J. Dewey, M. Lipman, D. Halpern, P. Saukh, S. Terno, O. Pometun, and others) on the essence of critical thinking as a conscious, reflective, and independent process of reasoning based on evidence and logic are analyzed. It is substantiated that the history of mathematical discoveries has great potential for developing critical thinking, as it demonstrates the evolution of scientific ideas, the path from mistakes and doubts to proven truths. A set of effective methodological techniques is proposed, including the creation of problem-based situations with historical content, the use of interactive methods, the organization of research projects, the preparation of digital products (presentations, videos), and the solving of historical mathematical problems. It is emphasized that engaging students in exploring the history of science contributes to the development of analytical abilities, fosters skills of comparison, argumentation, evaluation of various viewpoints, and the ability to make reasoned decisions. The article concludes that the history of mathematics serves as a powerful didactic tool for fostering critical thinking, combining cognitive, research, and educational potential, and promoting the development of creative, thoughtful, and independent learners.

In the 21st century, the history of archaeological science in Russia gradually formed into an independent sub-discipline. However, there are currently few special articles on the study of various aspects of the work and life of archaeologists in Russian expeditions. Archaeological practice was a mandatory part of the educational process for students of history departments of universities in the USSR. The article describes the history of the expedition to Lake Kostomukshskoye in 1980 under the leadership of Anatoly Pavlovich Zhuravlev. Published work includes new material by history of archeology of Karelia. The source was the memoirs of four participants in this trip.

Introduction. The relevance of this study stems from the need to understand the contribution of Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor V. A. Yurchyonkov to the development of regional historical scholarship and humanities research in the Republic of Mordovia. The aim of this article is to comprehensively analyze the scholar’s scientific, organizational, and pedagogical legacy. Materials and Methods. The study draws on the scholarly works, projects, and organizational initiatives of V. A. Yurchyonkov, as well as the work of his colleagues and followers. The article’s methodological basis are the principles of systematicity and scientific objectivity. The authors utilize historical-biographical and historical-genetic research methods. Results and Discussion. This article examines key areas of V. A. Yurchyonkov’s work: the reorganization of the Research Institute of Humanities under the Government of the Republic of Mordovia, the creation of an academic school, the implementation of large-scale research projects, the development of his own scientific hypotheses and constructs, public activities, and teaching practice. It shows that V. A. Yurchyonkov, distinguished by his unique scholarly erudition and professionalism, was a broad-based scholar in the humanities and a conceptualist who defined the essence of the development of Mordovia regional history as an integral part of a single all-Russian historical process. The scholar defines the configuration of the historical development of the Mordovian people and the Mordovia region within the framework of his concept of the formation of the Mordovians as a “pulsating” ethnic group, as well as in the context of the multidirectional and varying in strength, yet stable, interaction between the Russian center and periphery. V. A. Yurchyonkov is known as an educator and organizer of science. The academic school he founded includes many researchers successfully working at the intersection of history, cultural studies, ethnology, ethnosociology, historiosophy, and other disciplines. He is also the author of fiction and the screenwriter of short historical documentary films. The scholar was a true patriot of his native land and a consistent promoter of Mordovia history and culture. V. A. Yurchyonkov’s creative public stance and his work aimed at preserving the memory of military and historical events, developing memorial practices, and promoting the cultural achievements of Mordovia continue to resonate deeply with his colleagues in the republic. He has received well-deserved recognition at the Russian and international levels. Conclusion. The authors emphasize that V. A. Yurchyonkov’s legacy represents a holistic system combining fundamental research, organizational development, and teaching practice. His work laid the foundation for the further development of humanities in Mordovia and became a model for the integration of regional history into national academic discourse. This article contributes to understanding the role of new ideas and methodological approaches introduced by V. A. Yurchyonkov to modern scholarship. Its materials can be used in research in the fields of regional studies and local history, and in teaching the humanities.

Restoring a Place for Biographies in the History of Science.

Introduction. The influence of the Chinese Eastern Railway on the development of the northeastern provinces of China, including the development of education, science, and periodicals in Heilongjiang Province, was enormous. The great scientific heritage of Russian periodicals in China has been preserved in a small volume in Harbin. Created by Russian emigrants, Harbin Russian periodicals made a great contribution to the establishment of good-neighbourly and cultural relations between Russia and China. Methods and materials. In the article, the authors use the comparative-historical method of research as one of the main research methods in historical science. The authors identify the general patterns of the presentation of periodicals in the museums of Harbin. Analysis. A vivid illustration of the vision of the development of printed publications in Harbin is the Museum of Impressions of the Chinese Eastern Railway in Harbin. The museum has preserved a large amount of information about the Russian periodicals in Harbin at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. The article analyses historical information from museum stands and analyses the degree of its representation in the museums of Harbin. Results. Having analysed the information on the museum stands, the authors came to the conclusion that in both museums information about periodicals is given selectively. Of the 42 publications mentioned in the list of the Nangang District Library as Russian-language periodicals of Harbin, 10 publications are mentioned on the stands of the Museum of Impressions of the Chinese Eastern Railway, 16 publications are mentioned on the stands of the Harbin City Museum, and different publications are mentioned in the museums; that is, in one museum the publications presented in another museum are partially not mentioned. Authors' contribution. A.N. Steblyanskaya – conceptualisation and article text; M.P. Vasiev – data collection in museums, article proofreading.

Any scientific theory in the natural sciences is an artificial, complex, and abstract construct, consisting of many components (ingredients, constituents, structural elements). It is developed by scientists to gain and comprehend experimentally verified new knowledge about its domain of study. It is helpful to distinguish between two meanings of the term “theory”. The application domains of specific theories include particular kinds of realities. Examples include Newton’s celestial mechanics and various classical, quantum, and quantum- relativistic theories of gases, fluids, molecules, atoms, and elementary particles (theory of atomic spectra, Bohr’s atomic theory, Planck’s quantum theory of black-body radiation, quantum theory of the hydrogen atom, quantum- relativistic theory of black holes, etc.). The names of specific theories usually include the names of the types of realities they study. Abstract theories serve as general frameworks for a group of specific theories of the same kind (in particular, macroscopic, microscopic, or megascopic kinds). Examples of abstract theories are classical mechanics, quantum mechanics, and the theories of relativity, which act as common frameworks for concrete theories from classical, quantum, and quantum- relativistic physics, respectively. The article compares concepts of complex structure and development of specific theories with notions of structure and development of automobiles. Such a comparison is more useful and heuristic than analyzing theories in terms of paradigms or interdisciplinary matrices, which, in any case, are not part of scientific theories. The work employed methods of terminological and content analysis of the original text of Newton’s Principia and the comparative method. The aim is to consider Newtonian celestial mechanics as the last universal common ancestor (LUCA) of all particular specific theories. The role of Euclidean geometry as a potential LUCA for abstract theories will be explored in another article. An analysis1 of Newton’s Principia showed that celestial mechanics encompasses a wider range of components than physicists and philosophers of science typically consider part of a theory. Main results. Taking this theory as a prototype for all specific theories, the article demonstrates the existence of sixteen types of components within it. Components of the same type form a specific subsystem of the theory as a polysystem. In any specific scientific theory, all these subsystems together constitute an interconnected whole that is necessary but not sufficient for generating new knowledge. Conclusions. The article is of a historical- scientific and theoretical- cognitive nature, and the results obtained can be applied in research on the history and philosophy of science, as well as in the teaching of natural science disciplines.

In the context of international competition and sanctions pressure, supporting research aimed at achieving technological sovereignty and competitiveness, as well as creating conditions for scientific discoveries and their implementation, is becoming a matter of national security. Studying the history of science allows us to identify patterns, learn lessons from successes and failures, and better understand cause-and-effect relationships, which facilitates more informed decision-making and determines the focus of promising scientific research. This paper presents a brief overview of the main research areas discussed at the XLVI International Annual Scientific Conference “Scientific Study and Development of Russia and Adjacent Territories (on the 100th Anniversary of the Founding of the USSR Academy of Sciences)”, held October 27–31, 2025, at the St. Petersburg Branch of the Russian National Committee for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology of the Russian Academy of Sciences.