Narrative Science
  • HOME
  • INTRODUCTION
  • TEAM
  • RESOURCES
    • Annotated bibliography
    • Morgan and Ambrosio in conversation
    • Network
    • Anthology of Narrative Science
    • The Narrative Science Poster
    • Working papers and publications
    • Videos from Narrative Science in Techno-Environments workshop
    • Directory and news from Narrative Science in Techno-environments network
  • Blog
  • Events
    • Public Seminar Series
    • Workshops, symposia and conferences
    • Environment Workshop July 18-19
  • about & contact
Picture

dr. andrew hopkins

a.e.hopkins@lse.ac.uk
 In line with my scientific background, my primary interest has been in how geologists and other historical scientists reconstruct the past on the basis of often meagre evidence available today. Pursuing this thread raises a number of interesting research questions that impinge directly upon the concerns of the Project. For example, because explanations in the historical sciences tend to adopt an explicitly narrative form, does this mean that the historical sciences are inferior to those which are more experimentally-based and which deploy explanations that invoke laws and rely on deductive logic, as some philosophers of science maintain? If not, what is the basis for accepting narrative forms as legitimate scientific explanations? In this respect, does the work of philosophers of history, who have had to deal with questions of the legitimacy of narrative explanation in their own field, have a bearing on the historical sciences?

These philosophical questions also invite research into the history of the historical sciences, and into the origins of the critique that narrative explanations are mere sketches and as such are subordinate to “proper” law-based scientific explanations. The roots of this view appear to extend much deeper than the work of 20th century philosophers of science such as Popper and Hempel. Among other historical inquiries therefore, I intend to investigate the relationship between natural philosophy and natural history since the 17th century, the influence of the Newtonian worldview on the perceptions of what constitutes “proper” science, and the role of narrative in major works of historical science that have been criticised for their failure to reference scientific laws, such as Lyell’s Principles of Geology (1831) and Darwin’s Origin (1859).
​
In recent years there has been an upsurge of interest in the historical sciences, as well as in the phenomenon of “science without laws” (as the title of at least two significant books has it). My research into the philosophy and history of narrative in historical science aims to feed into these themes.
COOKIES: By using this site you consent to the use of cookies. We use cookies to analyse our traffic. You can read more about the cookies we use here.
​
COPYRIGHT: Unless explicitly stated otherwise, permission is granted for noncommercial reproduction, copying, distribution and transmission of material on this website, or parts thereof, so long as full credit is given to the coordinating projects, organisation, and authors; the text is not altered, transformed or built upon; and for any reuse or distribution, these terms are made clear to others.
  • HOME
  • INTRODUCTION
  • TEAM
  • RESOURCES
    • Annotated bibliography
    • Morgan and Ambrosio in conversation
    • Network
    • Anthology of Narrative Science
    • The Narrative Science Poster
    • Working papers and publications
    • Videos from Narrative Science in Techno-Environments workshop
    • Directory and news from Narrative Science in Techno-environments network
  • Blog
  • Events
    • Public Seminar Series
    • Workshops, symposia and conferences
    • Environment Workshop July 18-19
  • about & contact