Traditionally, (scientific) knowledge has been, and still is, regarded to be a very strong cultural form. On most accounts, be they historical, philosophical, or sociological, (scientific) knowledge is conceived to be an epistemically strong form of human cognition, tied to strong social institutions, and coupled to important practical implications. It can even be argued that most if not all ideals of (scientific) knowledge that have been articulated at different times and in different places go together with the articulation of a hierarchy of more or less deficient forms of knowing or believing against which “real” knowledge is placed at the top. (The term “scientific” is put in brackets throughout since the notion and demarcation of “science” – or one of its counterparts in other languages – is part and parcel of the problem at hand.)

On the other hand, we have learned from a wealth of studies that at least many (perhaps even most or all) bodies and fragments of (scientific) knowledge that we encounter in history have been marked by such deficiencies – be they epistemic, social, or practical. Moreover, articulations of, discourses on, or fights about such perceived weaknesses have been and still are part and parcel of knowledge cultures of all periods. In fact, they did and do play a significant role in the historical dynamics of (scientific) knowledge.

With the conference we would like to bring together scholars working on all epochs and a wide variety of (scientific) fields and cultures who are interested in reflecting critically on the role of “weakness” – in any of the possible senses – in the dynamics of (scientific) knowledge. We hope to develop together some elements of an analytical perspective on the issue.

To this purpose, we propose to take as a starting point the insight that ideals and types of knowledge are both varied and variable in time and place, and that most if not all of these are tied to implicit or explicit hierarchies of strength and weakness of knowledge. The tension between strong ideals and fragile realities of systems and fragments knowledge constitutes an essential element of the historical and cultural dynamics of knowledge. There are several dimensions of the forms, functions and dynamics of knowledge perceived to be weak at different times and in different places. A preliminary distinction, to be discussed and refined during the conference, of these dimensions includes epistemic, social, and practical issues – which themselves may be combined or configured in different ways. Moreover, besides ascriptions of weakness to bodies or fragments of knowledge, many societies (including our own) are marked by a discourse on the relative strength or weakness of knowledge systems compared to other material or immaterial resources of the same society.

For further information, please visit: https://wg.geschichte.uni-frankfurt.de/weak/

Everyone who is interested is cordially invited to join. We ask you, however, to register in advance at wg-sekretariat@em.uni-frankfurt.de.