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How is the history of science relevant to science today?

The history of science studies not only developments in science over time, but also the changes in thinking behind those developments. Consider the example of the discovery that the world is round rather than flat; historians of science study the historic event of that discovery, as well underlying changes in scientific thought that came afterward.



An understanding of how science has been studied and practiced in the past lets us do two things. First, it better allows us to examine our current scientific practices. Second, it allows us to understand how scientific values have shifted over time. The history of science reveals large changes in thought as new understandings of the natural world developed. For example, after Einstein released his theory of relativity, the scientific community rapidly shifted several paradigms about the natural world. These change moments are central to the study of the history of science.



It is difficult to consider the history of science without also encountering the philosophy of science. The two fields are closely connected in that when observing the changes in scientific thinking over time, the natural question to ask next is, Why did these changes occur? These two fields—the history and philosophy of science—are an important pair that inform our understanding of science and thought, past and present.

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