Scientific Biography: History of Science by Another Means?

Citeable URL: https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/articles/vq27zn98m

Descriptions

Attribute Name	Values
Creator	Nye, Mary Jo
Abstract	Biography is one of the most popular categories of books—and indeed the most popular category among nonfiction books, according to one British poll. Thus, biography offers historians of science an opportunity to reach a potentially broad audience. This essay examines approaches typical of different genres of scientific biography, including historians’ motivations in their choices of biographical subject and their decisions about strategies for reconstruction of the biographical life. While historians of science often use biography as a vehicle to analyze scientific processes and scientific culture, the most compelling scientific biographies are ones that portray the ambitions, passions, disappointments, and moral choices that characterize a scientist’s life.
Resource Type	Article
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1086/504738
Date Available	2011-07-27T22:31:33+00:00
Date Issued	2006-06
Citation	Nye, M. J. (2006, June). Scientific Biography: History of Science by Another Means. Isis, 97(2), 322-329.
Journal Title	Isis
Journal Volume	97
Academic Affiliation	History
Rights Statement	Copyright Not Evaluated
Publisher	University of Chicago Press
Peer Reviewed	Yes
Language	English [eng]
Replaces	http://hdl.handle.net/1957/22155