Generality is a key value in scientific discourses and practices.
Throughout history, it has received a variety of meanings and of
uses. This collection of original essays aims to inquire into this
diversity. Through case studies taken from the history of
mathematics, physics and the life sciences, the book provides
evidence of different ways of understanding the general in various
contexts. It aims at showing how collectives have valued generality
and how they have worked with specific types of "general" entities,
procedures, and arguments. The books connects history and
philosophy of mathematics and the sciences at the intersection of
two of the most fruitful contemporary lines of research: historical
epistemology, in which values (e.g. "objectivity", "accuracy") are
studied from a historical viewpoint; and the philosophy of
scientific practice, in which conceptual developments are seen as
embedded in networks of social, instrumental, and textual
practices. Each chapter provides a self-contained case-study, with
a clear exposition of the scientific content at stake. The
collection covers a wide range of scientific domains - with an
emphasis on mathematics - and historical periods. It thus allows a
comparative perspective which suggests a non-linear pattern for a
history of generality. The introductory chapter spells out the key
issues and points to the connections between the chapters.
General
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