History of Science, Epistemology and Visualization

Those who ask about the historicity of knowledge reckon with the fact that it could be different. This implies a sense of possibility that always questions historical conditions in terms of alternatives, of different departures and other futures. Only at first glance does the history of science devote itself solely to the past.

Like other disciplines, the history of science passes with its programs and projects through trends and tendencies. Insofar as the history of science aspires to be more than ordinary science, it must understand such conjunctures as constitutive for its epistemological foundations. Together with the genesis of scientific facts and specialized knowledge, the rules of scientific practice must also be historicized. In fact the transformation of these rules and their changing relations must be uncovered from the respective historical conditions. Herein lies the epistemic power of a radical historicization of scientific practices.