Physics Program Presents

Myth-Histories: The Stories Scientists Tell

The stories scientists tell are not just mythologies or poorly researched histories to be judged inferior by historians of science and brushed aside as Whiggish accounts of the scientific past. These myth-histories are a unique species of narrative, fundamentally different from scholarly historical accounts. In the concept of myth-history, the hyphen is critical, for it bridges narrative modes. In communicating their science, scientists tend to use these hybrid narratives for important rhetorical purposes. Myth-histories, like those you might find in textbooks and popularizations of science, employ history as a rough scaffolding. They also filter out unwanted historical details, emphasize mythological tropes, and perpetuate essentialist images of ideal science built upon the shoulders of scientific heroes. The stories scientists tell undoubtedly deliver value, coherence, and inspiration to scientific communities but they also bear unintended consequences that must be brought to light.

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For more information, call 845-752-4391, or e-mail [email protected].

Time: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm EDT/GMT-4

Location: Hegeman 107

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