Between philosophy and history

the history of ideas as a key to understanding science

Authors

  • Gustavo Santos Giacomini Universidade de São Paulo

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15848/hh.v18.2353

Keywords:

Philosophy, History of science, History of ideas

Abstract

In this article, I propose an assessment of the history of science understood interdisciplinarily as the history of ideas, with the aim of analyzing and elucidating the interweaving of historical and philosophical elements in the processes of transformation and legitimization of scientific knowledge. The history of ideas demonstrates its relevance by highlighting the migration and mutation of conceptions, particularly scientific ones, across different historical and philosophical contexts. More than a mere inventory of knowledge, this discipline seeks to understand how traditions and debates shape and accompany the movement of ideas and beliefs over time. Through this approach, it becomes possible to identify the traces and marks that delineate the various receptions and interpretations of ideas, as well as to clarify their transformations across different periods, thereby emphasizing the dynamic and continuous nature of the construction of human knowledge.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

ABRANTES, Paulo C. Imagens de Natureza, Imagens de Ciência. Rio de Janeiro: EdUERJ, 2016.

BOAS, George. The History of Ideas: An Introduction. New York: Scribner's Sons, 1969.

CASSIRER, Ernst. Gesammelte Werke: Hamburger Ausgabe Band 2. Hamburg: Verlag, 1999.

GADAMER, Hans-Georg. Verdade e método I. Petrópolis: Vozes, 2015.

GRMEK, Mirko D. A Plea for Freeing the History of Scientific Discoveries from Myth. In: GRMEK, Mirko; COHEN, Robert; CIMINO, Guido. On Scientific Discovery. Dordrecht: D. Reidel, 1981.

GUSDORF, Georges. Les sciences humaines et la pensée occidentale. Tome I. Paris: Payot, 1977.

KUHN, Thomas S. A tensão essencial. São Paulo: Editora da Unesp, 2011.

KUHN, Thomas S. A Estrutura das Revoluções Científicas. São Paulo, Perspectiva, 1998.

KUHN, Thomas S. Notes on Lakatos. PSA: Proceedings of the Biennial Meeting of the Philosophy of Science Association. Vol. 1970, 1970.

KUHN, Thomas S. Reflections on my Critics. In: LAKATOS, Imre; MUSGRAVE, Alan (edit.). Criticism and the Growth of Knowledge. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004.

LAKATOS, Imre. History of Science and its Rational Reconstructions. PSA: Proceedings of the Biennial Meeting of the Philosophy of Science Association. Vol. 1970, 1970.

LAKATOS, Imre. Proofs and Refutations. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2015.

LAUDAN, Larry. O progresso e seus problemas. São Paulo: Editora da Unesp, 2011.

LOVEJOY, Arthur O. Present Standpoints and Past History. The Journal of Philosophy. Vol. 36, No. 18, 1939.

LOVEJOY, Arthur O. Reflections on the History of Ideas. Journal of the History of Ideas. Vol. 1, No. 1,1940.

LOVEJOY, Arthur O. The Great Chain of Being. Cambridge: Harvard Press, 2001.

MCMULLIN, Ernán. Philosophy of Science and Its Rational Reconstructions. In: RADNITZKY, Gerard.; ANDERSSON, Gunnar (edit.). Progress and Rationality in Science. Dordrecht: D. Reidel, 1978.

PUTNAM, Hilary. Mathematics, matter and method. Cambridge: Cambridge Press, 1975.

ROSSI, Paolo. Francis Bacon: da magia à ciência. Londrina: Eduel, Curitiba: Editora UFPR, 2006.

ROSSI, Paolo. Immagini della scienza. Roma: Editori Riuniti, 1977.

ROSSI, Paolo. Storia e filosofia. Torino: Einaudi, 1975.

SUPPE, Frederick. The Structure of Scientific Theories. Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1977.

STEGMÜLLER, Wolfgang. The Structure and Dynamics of Theories. New York: Springer, 1976.

TAYLOR, Charles. The Explanation of Behaviour. London: Routledge, 2021.

WARTOFSKY, Marx W. The relation between philosophy of science and history of science. In: COHEN, Robert; FEYERABEND, Paul; WARTOFSKY, Marx (edit.). Essays in Memory of Imre Lakatos. Dordrecht: D. Reidel, 1976.

YATES, Frances A. Giordano Bruno e a tradição hermética. São Paulo: Editora Cultrix, 1995.

Published

2025-12-18

How to Cite

SANTOS GIACOMINI, Gustavo. Between philosophy and history: the history of ideas as a key to understanding science. História da Historiografia: International Journal of Theory and History of Historiography, Ouro Preto, v. 18, p. 1–26, 2025. DOI: 10.15848/hh.v18.2353. Disponível em: https://www.historiadahistoriografia.com.br/revista/article/view/2353. Acesso em: 13 feb. 2026.

Issue

Section

Dossiê ''Teorias da história e histórias da filosofia: qual diálogo possível?''