Febvre's Climate of Sciences. When Human Geography Met Intellectual History

Area of Science:

• Intellectual History
• History of Science
• Social History

Background:

• Lucien Febvre's scholarly contributions spanned economic, social, intellectual, and religious history.
• His methodological innovations, particularly the concept of the "climate of science," are often overlooked.
• Febvre's work synthesized diverse intellectual influences to shape historical analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze Lucien Febvre's concept of the "climate of science" or intellectual climate.
• To reconstruct the development of this concept between the 1920s and 1940s.
• To highlight Febvre's methodological contribution to intellectual and scientific history.

Main Methods:

• Examining Febvre's synthesis of proposals from Henri Berr, Henri Wallon, and Paul Langevin.
• Contrasting Febvre's approach with Ratzel's deterministic geographical determinism.
• Analyzing Febvre's view of innovation as a result of probabilistic options within a spectrum of possibilities.

Main Results:

• Febvre integrated philosophical, psychological, and physical science perspectives.
• He rejected deterministic models in favor of a probabilistic understanding of human activity.
• The "climate of science" concept emerged as a key tool for historical reconstruction.

Conclusions:

• Febvre's "climate of science" offers a nuanced framework for understanding intellectual and scientific developments.
• His methodological approach emphasizes the historian's role in reconstructing past possibilities.
• This concept provides a valuable lens for analyzing the evolution of scientific thought.