Max Planck Institute for the History of Science

Dahlem, Berlin, Germany

Executive director

Dagmar Schäfer

Directors

Jürgen Renn, Etienne Benson and Dagmar Schäfer

Key people

Lorraine Daston and Jürgen Renn, founding directors

Parent organization

Max Planck SocietyWebsitewww.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de

The Max Planck Institute for the History of Science (German: Max-Planck-Institut für Wissenschaftsgeschichte) is a scientific research institute founded in March 1994.^[1] It is dedicated to addressing fundamental questions of the history of knowledge from the Neolithic era to the present day, and its researchers pursue a historical epistemology in their study of how new categories of thought, proof, and experience have emerged in interactions between the sciences and their ambient cultures.^[2]

Organization

The MPIWG comprises three departments and several independent research groups.^[3] The departments are:

"Structural Changes in Systems of Knowledge," directed by Jürgen Renn
"Knowledge Systems and Collective Life," directed by Etienne Benson
"Artifacts, Action, Knowledge," directed by Dagmar Schäfer

Hans-Jörg Rheinberger, who headed Department III from 1995 to 2014, and Lorraine Daston, who headed Department II from 1995 to 2019, remain at the MPIWG as emerita.

The Research Groups are:

"Practices of Validation in the Biomedical Sciences," led by Lara Keuck
"China in the Global System of Science," led by Anna L. Ahlers
"Historical Epistemology of the Final Theory Program," led by Alexander Blum
"Experience in the Premodern Sciences of Soul & Body ca. 800–1650," led by Katja Krause

In addition are groups and programs focusing on:

Research IT and Digital Humanities
Computational History of Science

The institute also comprises doctoral students, and research and teaching cooperations with other institutions worldwide.

Journalists in Residence

The institute has a Journalist-in-Residence program.^[4]

References

^ "First Annual Report 1994". Max Planck Institute for the History of Science. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
^ "About the Institute". Max Planck Institute for the History of Science. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
^ "Research". Max Planck Institute for the History of Science. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
^ ‘Journalist in Residence’-Fellowship am MPIWG. JournalistenPreise.de – Das Portal für Journalistenpreise at the Wayback Machine (archived 2013-02-18).