Scientiae – an international research group

It is an international research group with a unique position at the intersection of Renaissance and early-modern studies and the history and philosophy of science. The period ca. 1450-1750 is a truly unique one. This was the time when the occurring epistemological and methodological innovations had such a lasting impact that their influence is still being felt today. In fact, these discoveries and inventions continue shaping collective knowledge in modern times.

And yet, the innovators and inventors of the early-modern period were far removed from the much later syntheses and applications of the innovations of those times. As a result, the intellectual culture of this period provides us with a truly unusual opportunity to better understand the way we “know” things. We can see the backside and the inner workings of modern ideas of knowing that are currently dominated by science and technology.

That being said, by the same logic, the early-modern origins, predecessors, or precursors of these ideas cannot be properly investigated. At least, not in a direct way. Perhaps, the only exception would be a very discrete exploration that would have to be performed specifically within the internally-coherent disciplines where these ideas first originated from, formed, and eventually emerged to enter other disciplines.

Such discrete disciplines include (but are not limited to): Biblical exegesis, humanism, scholastic logic, art theory, antiquarianism, natural history, natural philosophy, cosmography, craft traditions, medicine, magic, alchemy, and others. The list is not exhaustive, and it is obvious that there are quite a few disciplines that have the same or similar characteristics to the ones listed.

We are happy to welcome all kinds of scholars of the early-modern period’s history, literature, philosophy, music, print culture, social networks, and intellectual geography. In other words, any and all scholars interested in working in the sphere of early-modern intellectual culture. In particular, the scholars who have performed research in the field relating to the issues connected to the emergency of modern natural science during this period.

If you are a student writing a paper in any of these disciplines and exploring the ideas within them, then you will likely need to be particularly attentive to the research you perform. In case you struggle to complete your assignment, you can hire a professional academic writer from an essay writing service reviews site who will help you complete your research and assist you in writing a cohesive paper on your chosen subject matter.

Scientiae is dedicated to its work – and is happy to welcome both students and scholars. We organize an annual conference in spring which is our primary form of activity. Rather than organizing sessions by discipline, we prefer to organize them by subject matter (as often as possible). This provides more opportunities for scholars from different disciplines whose work may intersect or overlap.

Whatever training you have as a scholar, you will be able to talk about your topic and discuss it with other scholars (both from your own and other disciplines) who have performed research on it. With the help of such academic conversations, our aim is to reproduce the kind of interdisciplinarity that is present in our shared field.