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How Much Knowledge is Worth Knowing? An American Intellectual Historian's Thoughts on the Geschichte des Wissens
Author(s) -
Marchand Suzanne
Publication year - 2019
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.201900005
Subject(s) - terminology , variety (cybernetics) , perspective (graphical) , conversation , field (mathematics) , identity (music) , intellectual history , epistemology , sociology , history , aesthetics , philosophy , art , linguistics , visual arts , computer science , economic history , mathematics , communication , artificial intelligence , pure mathematics
This essay investigates the origins and assesses the advantages and disadvantages of the new field known as Wissensgeschichte from the perspective of an American intellectual historian. It argues that while some historians of science may be ready to embrace a new identity as historians of knowledge , this terminology remains baggy and invites facile applications of Foucauldian theory. The essay concludes with the hope that the history of knowledge approach may instead open up new avenues for conversation and collaboration between historians of science and garden variety historians.