The Relationship of the Humanities to the
Sciences
The American Academy, with its continuing commitment to
interdisciplinary research, has long recognized the importance of the sciences
in shaping the topics and methods of research in the humanities. Recent
initiatives have helped move the discussion of the disciplines beyond the
traditional dichotomy of the "two cultures" to examine the ways that scientific
and humanistic investigations can complement or enhance rather than compete
with or contradict one another. Realizing that the future of the humanities
will be no less bound up with the sciences than was their past, the Academy
seeks opportunities to promote a productive and informed dialogue.
As part of this initiative, Academy Fellow and
historian of science Mary Jo Nye directed a planning group examining the common
aspirations, points of divergence, and interdependence of the sciences and the
humanities. Participants, including scientists, humanities scholars, and
historians of science, recommended a series of measures to foster conversations
among Academy Fellows across disciplinary lines. The Academy will use its
meetings and research workshops to promote current work by Academy Fellows that
may stimulate such dialogues. Recent examples include a Stated Meeting
featuring Peter Galison, "Einstein's Clocks, Poincare's Maps," and another on
the topic "Russian Religious Mystics and French Rationalists: Mathematics,
1900-1930," with Loren Graham and Jean-Michel Kantor.
The
Visiting Scholars Program also provides opportunities for emerging
scholars to engage in research projects exploring the relationships between the
sciences and the humanities.
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