Banca de DEFESA: LETICIA DOS SANTOS PEREIRA

Uma banca de DEFESA de DOUTORADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
DISCENTE : LETICIA DOS SANTOS PEREIRA
DATA : 14/06/2019
HORA: 14:00
LOCAL: Instituto de Física
TÍTULO:

Elements for a (new) biography of Wilhelm Ostwald

PALAVRAS-CHAVES:

Wilhelm Ostwald; Scientific Biography; Catalysis; Nobel Prize; Chemistry Textbooks

PÁGINAS: 200
GRANDE ÁREA: Ciências Humanas
ÁREA: História
SUBÁREA: História das Ciências
RESUMO:

The Contemporary History of Science has shown us that science is a collective enterprise. This change in historiography happened when historians of science abandoned panoramic histories, scientific hagiographies and whig narratives to write narratives portraing the complexity of knowledge production in several contexts. However, historiography shows to be possible presenting the production of science through histories of individuals that, being themselves historical actors, they are the materialization and intersection points of the many social spheres connected to scientific practice. Maybe for this reason the biographical writings are so recurrent in history of sciences. Additionally, some characters are so fascinating that we are frequently seduced to write about their trajectories. An example of these characters is the Baltic-German chemist Wilhelm Ostwald (1853-1932). In a context of deep sociopolitics, scientific and philosophical changes, Ostwald is one of the most complex and controversial figures of chemistry at the turn of the nineteenth to the twentieth century, being portrayed in several biographical works. These biographies show him as a multifaceted and, to a certain extent, contradictory character: at the same time that they highlight Ostwald’s role in popularization of physical chemistry, his achievements in this field are little explored in our viewpoint. Ostwald is eventually remembered for his Nobel Prize of Chemistry granted in 1909, despite the superficial presentation of his works in catalysis, which are considered the reason of his nomination by historians. His opposition to atomism and his relationship with energetic paradigm also is stressed in the biographies, but without much emphasis on how Energetics influenced his physico-chemical research. Such problems show us that Wilhelm Ostwald’s biography has many gaps, which prevents historians of science and the general public from understanding his legacy. Trying to fill some of these gaps, this doctoral thesis aims to answer some questions about Ostwald’s trajectory, which are not present or are little explored by literature. Based on previous works, we identify three questions not elucidated by the main biographies of Ostwald: 1. What are Ostwald’s contributions to the research on catalysis? 2. How Ostwald’s textbooks contributed for popularization of modern physical chemistry and his energeticist worldview? 3. What were the motivations for Ostwald's appointment to the Nobel Prize for Chemistry between 1904 and 1909? To answer these questions it was necessary the support of the main biographies about Ostwald and a varied literature on history of chemistry and history of science, in general. Also it was necessary to search primary sources, as Ostwald’s scientific articles, textbooks, correspondences and the documents concerning the Nobel Prize of Chemistry, namely nomination letters and reports from Nobel committee of chemistry. Finally, we hope that our research can motivate historians of science to revisit Wilhelm Ostwald’s biography without repeating some premises that obscure our understanding about his legacy in science.

MEMBROS DA BANCA:
Presidente - 285676 - OLIVAL FREIRE JUNIOR
Interno - 283814 - JOSE LUIS DE PAULA BARROS SILVA
Externo ao Programa - 2356272 - ARTUR JOSE SANTOS MASCARENHAS
Externo à Instituição - CLIMERIO PAULO DA SILVA NETO
Externo à Instituição - GISELA BOECK
Externo à Instituição - MARCIA HELENA MENDES FERRAZ - PUC - SP