Life without Toothache: Hans Blumenberg's Zettelkasten and History of Science as Theoretical Attitude

The notion of a "theoretical attitude" [theoretische Einstellung or Haltung] is of central importance to Blumenberg's work, and particularly so in his writings on the history of science. From The Legitimacy of the Modern Age onwards, Blumenberg used this notion to insist on a continuity between scientific and humanistic modes of inquiry despite their different methodologies, and he attached a strong moral significance to the theoretical attitude he sees them as sharing. This essay traces the emphasis on such an attitude in Blumenberg's work on the sciences and technology, and it historicizes Blumenberg's focus on the concept.