| A Culture of Fact: England, 1550-1720 Contributor(s): Shapiro, Barbara J. (Author) |
|
 |
ISBN: 0801436869 ISBN-13: 9780801436864 Publisher: Cornell University Press OUR PRICE: $58.36 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: November 1999 Annotation: Barbara J. Shapiro traces the surprising genesis of the "fact, ' a modern concept that, she convincingly demonstrates, originated not in natural science but in legal discourse. She follows the concept's evolution and diffusion across a variety of disciplines in early modern England, examining how the emerging "culture of fact" shaped the epistemological assumptions of each intellectual enterprise. Drawing on an astonishing breadth of research, Shapiro probes the fact's changing identity from an alleged human action to a proven natural or human happening. The crucial first step in this transition occurred in the sixteenth century when English common law established a definition of fact which relied on eyewitnesses and testimony. The concept widened to cover natural as well as human events as a result of developments in news reportage and travel writing. Only then, Shapiro discovers, did scientific philosophy adopt the category "fact." With Francis Bacon advocating more stringent criteria, the witness became a vital component in scientific observation and experimentation. Shapiro also recounts how England's preoccupation with the fact influenced historiography, religion, and literature -- which saw the creation of a fact-oriented fictional genre, the novel. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - History | Europe - Great Britain - General - Science | History - Law | Legal History |
| Dewey: 942.05 |
| LCCN: 99035076 |
| Physical Information: 0.99" H x 6.34" W x 9.34" (1.30 lbs) 296 pages |
| Themes: - Chronological Period - 16th Century - Chronological Period - 17th Century - Chronological Period - 18th Century - Cultural Region - British Isles |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Barbara J. Shapiro traces the surprising genesis of the fact, a modern concept that, she convincingly demonstrates, originated not in natural science but in legal discourse. She follows the concept's evolution and diffusion across a variety of disciplines in early modern England, examining how the emerging culture of fact shaped the epistemological assumptions of each intellectual enterprise.Drawing on an astonishing breadth of research, Shapiro probes the fact's changing identity from an alleged human action to a proven natural or human happening. The crucial first step in this transition occurred in the sixteenth century when English common law established a definition of fact which relied on eyewitnesses and testimony. The concept widened to cover natural as well as human events as a result of developments in news reportage and travel writing. Only then, Shapiro discovers, did scientific philosophy adopt the category fact. With Francis Bacon advocating more stringent criteria, the witness became a vital component in scientific observation and experimentation. Shapiro also recounts how England's preoccupation with the fact influenced historiography, religion, and literature--which saw the creation of a fact-oriented fictional genre, the novel. |
Contributor Bio(s): Shapiro, Barbara J.: - Barbara J. Shapiro is Professor of Rhetoric Emerita at the University of California, Berkeley. Her books include Beyond Reasonable Doubt and Probable Cause: Historical Perspectives on the Anglo-American Law of Evidence and Probability and Certainty in Seventeenth-Century England. |