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Zwischen Naturphilosophie und Wissenschaftspolitik: Zum Profil der Isis oder Encyklopädischen Zeitschrift von Oken als naturwissenschaftliches Publikationsorgan in den Jahren 1817 bis 1822
Author(s) -
Stiefel Katrin
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
berichte zur wissenschaftsgeschichte
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.109
H-Index - 8
eISSN - 1522-2365
pISSN - 0170-6233
DOI - 10.1002/bewi.200390002
Subject(s) - epistemology , natural philosophy , natural science , natural (archaeology) , subject (documents) , philosophy , history of science , german , history , library science , computer science , archaeology , linguistics
Isis oder Encyklopädische Zeitung , edited by the German natural philosopher Lorenz Oken (1779‐1851), is supposed to be one of the most significant journals of natural sciences in the early 19 th century. The following study, based on a quantitative analyses of all articles (1817‐1822), investigates the profile of the natural sciences in this journal. The results are interpreted according to Oken's concept of the journal as well as his editorial notes. It is shown that the encyclopedically broadly designed journal focuses on the natural sciences as major part of it's content, presenting the descriptive history of natural sciences ( Naturgeschichte ) as main subject. The journal's research perspective follows the encyclopedical spread of issues and scientific subjects; a clear research profile of scientific disciplines can not be discerned. Although scientific subjects, issues and authors are heterogeneous, Oken preserves an inner coherence by a common perspective founded in natural philosophy: his strategy was therefore to interfere with the content of the articles by comments and footnotes. Finally it is shown that Oken's idea of encyclopedism and it's realisation in Isis comprises sciences as well as politics as two sides of the same coin: based on the philosophical understanding of the unity of nature Oken tries to educate the consciousness of his readers towards a socially and politically homogeneous nation.