Do scientific objects have a life (which may end)?

Area of Science:

• History of Science
• Philosophy of Science
• History of Physics

Background:

• Scientific objects possess characteristics that lend themselves to a biographical metaphor.
• Previous work has established the foundation for this approach.

Purpose of the Study:

• To advocate for the pertinence of a biographical approach to the history of scientific objects.
• To explore the virtues and limitations of this metaphorical framework.
• To conceptualize the demise of scientific objects as a process.

Main Methods:

• Revisiting and extending prior work on the biographical approach.
• Analyzing the characteristics of scientific objects that support the biographical metaphor.
• Drawing analogies between biographies of scientific objects and ordinary biographies.
• Examining the historical concept of "ether" in 19th and early 20th-century physics.

Main Results:

• The biographical metaphor offers a valuable lens for understanding scientific objects.
• Scientific objects can 'pass away' through various processes, not just sudden abandonment.
• The concept of "ether" exhibits traits (identity, heuristic character, recalcitrance) suitable for biographical analysis.

Conclusions:

• A biographical approach provides a nuanced understanding of the life cycles of scientific objects.
• The historical trajectory of the "ether" concept exemplifies the utility of this approach.
• Conceptualizing the 'demise' of scientific objects as a process offers new historical insights.