Evolution of the journal article in the 17th century England: From “essay of experience” by Robert Boyle to experimental account by Isaac Newton
Татьяна Борисовна Аленькина
Докладчик
доцент
Московский физико-технический институт
Московский физико-технический институт
онлайн заседание
2022-03-15
15:20 -
15:40
Ключевые слова, аннотация
journal article; Boyle; Newton; “essay of experience”; natural philosophy; experimental account; the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society
The conference report seeks to trace the evolution of the scientific journal article in the 17th century England in its two milestones - the "essay of experience" by Robert Boyle and the experimental account by Isaac Newton.
The conference report seeks to trace the evolution of the scientific journal article in the 17th century England in its two milestones - the "essay of experience" by Robert Boyle and the experimental account by Isaac Newton.
Тезисы
The journal article
always reflects the contemporary state of science and the style of scientific
exposition. The historical context of the conference report is the 17th
century England, the time of the scientific revolution, the emerging natural
philosophy, setting up of the Royal Society and the first scientific journal in
English the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society (1665). In
the time of vernacularization of science and the rise of the English identity, "we are in a kind of no-man’s land between “literature” and “science””(Montgomery,
p. 98). As soon as there were no standards of scientific discourse, Robert
Boyle also wrote in various genres – histories and tracts, memoirs and notes,
observations and essays. The purpose of the report is to address the “essay of
experience” by R.Boyle and the emerging experimental account of I. Newton as
two stages of the journal article evolution. In the context of multiple discourses, R.
Boyle adapted the Baconian essay to the natural philosopher’s needs. In his
work “A Proemial Essay” (1661) Boyle coined the term “essay of experience” with the
author’s task to “inform readers, not to delight or persuade them.” Thus, all
the rhetorical ornaments are excessive; yet such a “naked way of writing” allows
a personal voice of the author be loud enough to be heard. All in all, Boyle contributed 36 papers to the PTRS. Unlike Boyle,
I. Newton published the only letter in the journal called “A New Theory of Light and Colours”
(1672). The only article caused a big discussion; the controversy that lasted
four years made I.Newton reorganize his discipline. First, Newton
reconceptualized the original experiment, making it reproducible. Second, he
changed the sentence style using the second-person imperative mode, thus
involving the reader in the process of experiment and discovery. Third, Newton actively
used the language of mathematical and geometrical demonstration. Along with
that, he gave a “roadmap” to the readers and guided them through the text with
the help of rhetorical moves and citations. Globally, Newton changed the rhetorical
pattern of argumentation as well as the experiment itself, which was a
milestone in modern science and
scientific writing.
References: Montgomery, Scott L. The Scientific Voice. New York: Guilford Press, 1996.
References: Montgomery, Scott L. The Scientific Voice. New York: Guilford Press, 1996.