We are accustomed to thinking of science and its findings as
universal. After all, one atom of carbon plus two of oxygen yields
carbon dioxide in Amazonia as well as in Alaska; a scientist in Bombay
can use the same materials and techniques to challenge the work of a
scientist in New York; and of course the laws of gravity apply
worldwide. Why, then, should the spaces where science is done matter
at all? David N. Livingstone here puts that question to the test with
his fascinating study of how science bears the marks of its place of
production. Putting Science in Its Place establishes the fundamental
importance of geography in both the generation and the consumption of
scientific knowledge, using historical examples of the many places
where science has been practiced. Livingstone first turns his
attention to some of the specific sites where science has been
made—the laboratory, museum, and botanical garden, to name some of
the more conventional locales, but also places like the coffeehouse
and cathedral, ship's deck and asylum, even the human body itself. In
each case, he reveals just how the space of inquiry has conditioned
the investigations carried out there. He then describes how, on a
regional scale, provincial cultures have shaped scientific endeavor
and how, in turn, scientific practices have been instrumental in
forming local identities. Widening his inquiry, Livingstone points
gently to the fundamental instability of scientific meaning, based on
case studies of how scientific theories have been received in
different locales. Putting Science in Its Place powerfully concludes
by examining the remarkable mobility of science and the seemingly
effortless way it moves around the globe. From the reception of Darwin
in the land of the Maori to the giraffe that walked from Marseilles to
Paris, Livingstone shows that place does matter, even in the world of
science.
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Geographies of Scientific Knowledge
Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9780226487243
Publisert
2018
Utgave
1. utgave
Utgiver
Vendor
University of Chicago Press
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter