The Zilsel thesis in the history and philosophy of science proposes an explanation for why modern

science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...

emerged in the early 17th century in

Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's countries and territories vary depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the ancient Mediterranean ...

and not in other places or eras.

The thesis

Edgar Zilsel Edgar Zilsel (August 11, 1891, Vienna, Austria-Hungary – March 11, 1944, Oakland, California) was an Austrian-American historian and a philosopher of science. He is known for his Zilsel Thesis, a scientific proposal which traces the origins o ...

claims that science only emerged when

capitalism Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for Profit (economics), profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, pric ...

emerged in Western society because "The whole process was imbedded in the advance of early capitalistic society, which weakened collective-mindedness, magical thinking, and belief in authority and which furthered causal rational and quantitative thinking." (Zilsel 2003, 7) This created an environment in which two previously separated social groups could come into contact. These were the academically trained rational thinkers who were always members of the upper classes and what Zilsel calls "superior craftsmen". The academics possessed methodical intellectual training but not practical skills while the craftsmen were skilled in experimentation and causal research but lacked the methodical rational approach acquired from study of the classics. Zilsel supports his argument with a case study of William Gilbert who, in 1600 and five years before

Francis Bacon Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban (; 22 January 1561 – 9 April 1626), also known as Lord Verulam, was an English philosopher and statesman who served as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England. Bacon led the advancement of both ...

's
The Advancement of Learning
', published the first printed book (on

magnetism Magnetism is the class of physical attributes that are mediated by a magnetic field, which refers to the capacity to induce attractive and repulsive phenomena in other entities. Electric currents and the magnetic moments of elementary particles ...

) written by an academically trained scholar based almost entirely on actual observation and experiment. Gilbert rejected authority when it differed from observation and rejected superstitious explanations for physical phenomena. Zilsel details the way in which Gilbert drew on the work of

Robert Norman Robert Norman was a 16th-century-English mariner, compass builder, and hydrographer who discovered magnetic inclination, the deviation of the Earth's magnetic field from the vertical. Work Robert Norman is noted for ''The Newe Attractive'' ...

, a navigator and compass maker. Zilsel also claims that the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

artist-engineers and their like used "quantitative rules of thumb

hat are A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

the forerunners of the physical laws of modern science".(Zilsel 2003, 14) Explaining the origins of modern scientific laws, Zilsel claims that "The law-metaphor originates in the

bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

" (Zilsel 2003, 109). That is, the concept of scientific laws has its origins in the biblical idea that human and existence nature is governed by laws decreed by

God In monotheism, monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator deity, creator, and principal object of Faith#Religious views, faith.Richard Swinburne, Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Ted Honderich, Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Ox ...

. The editors of this collection of his work claim that at the time of his death Zilsel was working towards a book combining his claims on the origins of scientific laws with his thesis on the rise of science.

References

* Zilsel, Edgar. 2003.
The Social Origins of Modern Science.
' Edited by D. Raven, W. Krohn and R. S. Cohen, ''Boston Studies in the Philosophy of Science''; v. 200. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers.

The thesis

References

Further reading