This term's Evolution Reading Group

Science and Literature Reading Group members might be interested in attending some of the HPS department's Evolution Reading Group meetings this term - especially the following seminars on a novel Charles Darwin read whilst an Edinburgh student, and on poetry from Ruth Padel and our very own Kelley Swain:

21st January
Horace Smith, Brambletye House:or, Cavaliers and Roundheads, 3 vols, 3rd ed. (London: Colburn, 1826), chapters XI-XIII, pp. 97-128. Available on Google Books.


4th February
Kelley Swain, Darwin's Microscope (Flambard Press, 2009), poems 'Fossil Memories', 'Towards Perfection', 'Tectonic Motion', 'Spherical Motion'; Ruth Padel, Darwin: A Life in Poems (Chatto & Windus, 2009), chapter 2, 'Journey'.

A Herschel Trio - Astronomy, Biography and Music

Whipple Museum of the History of Science, Free School Lane, Cambridge

Featuring a talk from Michael Hoskin, a reading from Kelley Swain, and performances of William Herschel's oboe concerto in Eb and a trio sonata.

Wednesday February 3rd 2010, 6-9pm

Tickets are free but must be reserved via HPS reception on 01223 330906.

Oxford Literature and Science Seminar - Hilary Term 2010

Friday, 12 February at 2 pm
Dr. Carina Bartleet (Dept of English, Oxford Brookes University)
"Faustian Anatomies: Punchdrunk's Natural Philosophy of Dis-Memberment"

Friday, 26 February at 2 pm
Professor Peter Middleton (Dept of English, University of Southampton)
"The Poetics of Inquiry: American Poetry and Science in the Cold War"

All seminars will take place in St Catherine's College, the Arumugam Building (go to the top floor above the Lodge)

Event 2 - Theories and Methods: Literature, Science and Medicine

After a hugely successful first event (see the student blogs in the social space for reports and diaries from this event), application forms are now online for the second event in our AHRC doctoral training programme ‘Theories and Methods: Literature, Science and Medicine’.

This event will take place from 25-27th March at the Wellcome Library, King’s College, London, and the Royal College of Surgeons. More details and the programme are available on our website. There will be 20 places awarded, with bursaries for accommodation and travel.

If you have not done so, please do register for the LitSciMed social space by emailing Cristina da Costa (C.MendesdaCosta@salford.ac.uk). Here you will see discussion topics accompanying the training programme, plus blog postings, films of lectures, audio recordings and other learning resources for students working on topics that combine literature, science and medicine.  

Applications for event 2 must be submitted by Monday 1st February.

18th January

Join us from 7.30-9pm in a slightly different venue - room G03 in the Mary Allan Building, Homerton College - for the first Science and Literature Reading Group meeting of term.

We begin our exploration of alchemy and chemistry with: selections from Elias Ashmole (ed.), Theatrum Chemicum Britannicum (London: 1652). Reprinted as No. 39 of The Sources of Science by Johnson Reprint Corporation, New York & London, 1967.  This is available online at http://dewey.library.upenn.edu/sceti/printedbooksNew/index.cfm?textID=ashmole (Note that pp. 281-288 are misnumbered in the printed text.)  We will look at  "Pearce the Black Monke upon the Elixir" (pp. 269-274) "The Breviary of Naturall Philosophy.  Compiled by the unlettered Scholar Thomas Charnock" (pp. 291-303 in the printed text; 287-303 online) "The Vision of Sr George Ripley" (pp. 374)

All welcome!

CFP – Language as a Scientific Tool

Language as a Scientific Tool. Managing Language as a Variable of Practice and Presentation

Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, 29th-30th November 2010

Organizers:

Institute for Culture Studies and History of Theatre, Austrian Academy of Sciences

Working Group “History of Science”, History Department, University of Vienna

Department of Political Science and Sociology, European University at St. Petersburg

English and German Departments, University of Granada

 

Language has played an important and extended role in the history and philosophy of sciences, with language itself also becoming the subject of scholarship. Linguistic environments of scientists have unavoidably affected scientific research at various levels by, for instance, imposing cultural constraints and preconceptions, and by affecting the bounds of communication that structure science as social engagement. Despite the relevance of this phenomenon, insufficient historiographical and philosophical consideration has been paid to scientists' own thoughts on language as the essential medium of their practice, and as a malleable element that can be shaped to suit their goals.

The aim of this conference is, thus, to consider the history of language as an object of scientific concern, whether for epistemological or semantic reasons, stemming from scientists' understanding of language as a tool for conceptualising the world, from concerns on successfully communicating within the scientific community among specialists or merely between scientists and the general public. In either case the examination of the historical circumstances that have motivated such reflection appear paramount.

Language can also be considered as a consciously modelled tool for achieving definite scientific and political goals. Indeed, Bacon began his natural philosophy explicitly criticising scholastic ideas on language, which for him obscured nature instead of clarifying it. Therefore, it seemed to him that language had to be reformed and properly redefined to serve in the natural philosophic endeavour. Locke gave specific attention to language as a prior question to setting an epistemological basis to natural philosophy, in turn enforcing a separation between word and meaning that put natural philosophers in direct control over their language. This revolution in language was also one of the key points of the new science hailed by members of Royal Society such as John Wilkins, who was appointed a treatise on a new philosophical and universal language. Other voices argued that gaining explicit control over language was the only way to free it from past misconceptions. The claim that science needed to formulate a theory of language able to underwrite scientists' epistemic activity recurs right up until logical positivism.

At the same time, the Renaissance witnessed the struggle between Latin and the vernacular languages as means for the written codification of knowledge. From a dominant and hegemonic position, Latin gradually ceased being the only appropriate means for learned discourse, the vernaculars taking its place. Then, language critics displayed diverse arguments intertwining language with politics. In Germany, for instance, the main argument in linguistic change at the universities was the need of the introduction of a “new science” requiring a language distinct from scholastic Latin (Christian Wolff, Christian Thomasius), and thus not pervaded with scholastic ideas.

This conference focuses on the question of how the process of linguistic change was effected, perceived, and conducted by scientists. From the field of philosophical discussions, to the field of “language in use”, it is possible to pose crucial questions such as the following:

• • How has science sought to manage language through philosophical conceptions or rhetorical techniques to obtain particular goals, epistemic or otherwise? To what extent have scientists engaged in linguistic argumentation to criticize competing paradigms?
  
• • Has language been considered to be perfectly manageable? How have influences from e.g. other languages been coped with? Can it be said that linguistic purism relates only to alien words, or also to changing reality such as technology or geographical discoveries?
  
• • How has the communication of science been discussed in relation to both the existing world” and the learned community? Has science been seen as corresponding more accurately with the “reality” (following Herder) if written in the national language of a community? How has the communication of discoveries with other scientists been perceived if this was the case? Which were the points of conflict between perfect translatability and innate and unique features of natural languages in thisrespect?
  
• • In what contexts have issues of language been raised and to what ends? Is it a purely philosophically-driven debate for the purpose of articulating science, or are political and social factors (co)responsible for the crises of languages commonly used in the past?
  
• • Who were the actors of linguistic change? Did scientists/natural philosophers play only a minor role, or did the impulses and crises of used languages come from other sources?
  
• • Did scientists try to develop their own definitions of language as competing with philosophical ones? How did the endeavors for perfection of language differ among different groups?
  

Postgraduates are particularly encouraged to submit proposals for twenty-minute papers.

The language of the conference is English. The organizers plan to publish a selection of papers from this conference.

Please e-mail 300-word abstracts or proposals with a brief CV to Rocío Sumillera: sumille@correo.ugr.es by Monday, March 1st 2010.

Further contacts:

Johannes Feichtinger (Institute for Culture Studies and History of Theatre, Austrian Academy of Sciences): johannes.feichtinger@oeaw.ac.at

Miles MacLeod (Konrad Lorenz Institut, Vienna): miles.macleod@kli.ac.at

Ekaterina Smirnova (Department of Political Science and Sociology, European University at St. Petersburg): esmirnova@eu.spb.ru

Jan Surman (History Department, University of Vienna / Center for Austrian Studies, University of Minnesota): jan.surman@univie.ac.at

Lent Term 2010

This term we will focus on alchemy and chemistry, reading an array of texts from different genres and time periods. We meet fortnightly on Monday evenings, from 7.30-9pm, in a new venue: room MAB G03 at Homerton College. Readings are detailed below, and photocopied packs will be made available from the Group boxfile in the Whipple Library from the beginning of term. Organised by Daniel Friesner (Science Museum) and Melanie Keene (Homerton College). For updates, further information and relevant news listings please see this blog; email Melanie to join our dedicated mailing list. All welcome!

18th January

Selections from Elias Ashmole (ed.), Theatrum Chemicum Britannicum (London: 1652).

Reprinted as No. 39 of The Sources of Science by Johnson Reprint Corporation, New York & London, 1967.  Available online at http://dewey.library.upenn.edu/sceti/printedbooksNew/index.cfm?textID=ashmole (Note that pp. 281-288 are misnumbered in the printed text.)  We will look at  "Pearce the Black Monke upon the Elixir" (pp. 269-274) "The Breviary of Naturall Philosophy.  Compiled by the unlettered Scholar Thomas Charnock" (pp. 291-303 in the printed text; 287-303 online) "The Vision of Sr George Ripley" (pp. 374)

1st February

Honoré de Balzac, La Recherche de l'absolu (1834).

This has been translated into English at least three times: by William Robson as Balthazar; or, Science and Love (1859), by Katharine Prescott Wormeley as The Alkahest: or, The House of Claës (1887), by Ellen Marriage as The Quest of the Absolute (1895). We will use the Ellen Marriage translation, as this is the cheapest one to buy in paperback reprint.  Various texts are also available online from google books, Internet Archive, and Project Gutenberg.

15th February

Primo Levi, L'altrui mestiere (1985).  Translated by Raymond Rosenthal as Other People's Trades.  Michael Joseph Ltd, London, 1989. This is a collection of short essays, which originally appeared in

the Turin newspaper La Stampa.  We will look at "The Mark of the Chemist" (pp. 86-90), "The Language of Chemists (I)" (pp. 100-105), "The Language of Chemists (II)" (pp. 106-110), "Ex-Chemist" (pp. 174-176)

in conjunction with two chapters from Oliver Sacks' memoir, Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood (2001). Reprinted by Picador, London, 2002. Chapter 7, "Chemical Recreations" (pp. 67-76) Chapter 8, "Stinks and Bangs" (pp. 77-90)

1st March

Tony Harrison, Square Rounds.  Faber and Faber, London, 1992.

Anthology - Climate Change Poetry

Feeling the Pressure - Poetry and science of climate change 
This anthology of poems and scientific texts concerned with climate change was edited by Paul Munden and published by the British Council Switzerland in February 2008. It is available to download as a pdf here.

Bibliography of Physics and Literature

Katy Price, erstwhile organiser of the Science and Literature Reading Group, has compiled an extremely helpful bibliography of works relating to (mainly) twentieth-century physics and literature. It's available on her blog here.

Opera - Three Tales

Music by Steve Reich; Film by Beryl Korot

11pm, Wed 17th - Sat 20th Feb 2010, The ADC Theatre, Cambridge

Rubbish Productions with Ensemble BPM

“The human body is extremely limited. I would love to upgrade myself.” (Kevin Warwick)


Three Tales is a documentary digital video opera that recalls three events of significant social and scientific importance from the early, middle and late 20th century: the crash of the Hindenburg Zeppelin, the nuclear bomb testings at Bikini atoll, and the cloning of Dolly the Sheep. Through a rich tapestry of live opera and moving image, each of these reflects on the growth and implications of technology during the 20th century from early air transport to the current ethical debate on artificial intelligence and the future of our species.

Set to music by one of the greatest living composers, the Three Tales are told from various perspectives, with speech culled from interviews with eyewitnesses, audiovisual documentary material of both the Hindenburg and Bikini tragedies, and experts in computer science (Marvin Minsky), artificial intelligence (Rodney Brooks), Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, and genetic engineering (Richard Dawkins).