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Research In my current position as planning officer, lecturer and co-ordinator of Torus Network I don't have the possibility to engage myself in full time research. However, every now and then I take the time to present or write about my special field of knowledge in national or international contexts. If you are interested in the history of natural sciences and/or history of Chemistry especially in the 19th or early 20th century, please do not hesitate to contact me (e-mail). I would be glad to make more professional connections. Here below is the current abstract of my PhD research plan. Lately I've also been interested in the study of the Italian history, particularly the period of the Risorgimento.
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Research abstract |
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ENERGETIC EDUCATION - WILHELM OSTWALD AND THE GERMAN MONIST LEAGUE AS EDUCATIONAL REFORMERS The title of my PhD thesis is "Wilhelm Ostwald, the German Monist League and the educational reform in Germany around the turn of the 19th and 20th century". Baltic-German Ostwald (1853-1932) was professor of physical chemistry at the University of Leipzig from 1887 to1906. He was awarded the 1909 Nobel Prize in Chemistry in recognition of his pivotal work on catalysis and chemical equilibrium. My thesis focuses on the social and ideological dimensions of Ostwald's activities. His achievements have primarily been studied from the chemical point of view; in the history of chemistry he has been known as "the Founding Father of physical chemistry". As the leader of the German Monist League Ostwald followed Ernst Haeckel, a renowned German biologist. The main goal of the Monist League and its leader was to promote a strictly scientific world view based on natural sciences. According to Ostwald modern society and industry could prosper only on terms of expert knowledge gained by studying and applying energetics (Energetik). The "Ostwaldian" interpretation of energetics combined the laws of thermodynamics with codes of social responsibility; each and everyone is personally accountable for the energy consuming choices of his life and actions. Therefore, the school system can be placed in the focal point of adopting the energetic world view. For the German Monist League Ostwald's period of leadership (1911-1915) was a time of objective-oriented action to enhance the prerequisites of teaching and researching natural sciences in Germany. As a devoted scientist Ostwald could not accept that lion's share of school lessons was reserved for the study of religion, history and the classical languages. He wanted to see a new generation rise in accordance with the universal principle of energetics. In order to propagate his views he took an active part in the debate concerning the reform of the curricula from the elementary school to the highest levels of education. In order to spur his energetic mission Ostwald used his well-established international connections and publications. He is also known for the numerous textbooks and other publications that present the popularized idea of energetics in an easily digestible and persuasive form. These publications represent also the main source material for my research. Unsurprisingly, the monistic-energetic reform plan led to confrontations between the supporters of the Monist League and the supporters of the traditional humanistic curriculum. In my research paper I shall argue that this confrontation took place in social and ideological rather than scientific context. Nor should one forget the question of rivalling resources at the universities; the cost of equipment required by modern chemical research seemed extortionate when compared with the prize of classical text books - and classical education. July 2003 |