Geert Vanpaemel

Early Experiments with Modern Mathematics in Belgium. Advanced Mathematics Taught from Childhood

During the early phases of the New Math reform, several series of classroom experiments were set up in Belgium by leading figures of the reform movement. Although there are no primary data documenting the experiments, some information did appear in scholarly publications. Moreover, the experiments were often referred to as powerful arguments in favour of the reform. We discuss the experiments set up by the structuralist school of Georges Papy, and their reception among Belgian and international reviewers. These experiments are compared to the very different approach advocated by Paul Libois. We conclude with some observations on the role of these experiments in the New Math reform in Belgium.

The German Model of Laboratory Science and the European Periphery (1860-1914)

In the last decades of the nineteenth century, many European countries adopted a laboratory science system, in which the German model served as the prime example to be imitated. This is often taken as proof of the central role accorded to German science, and positions followers of the German model on the periphery. In this chapter another interpretation of this diffusion process is proposed, stressing the complementary nature of center and periphery. The center embodies the shared values of the wider community and serves to connect various members of that community. The center only emerges as such as a focal point for aspirations fostered at the periphery. The diverging and often contrasting interpretations of the German model of laboratory science exemplify this complex and ambivalent relation between center and periphery.

X-rays and old masters. The art of the scientific connoisseur.

The wealth of American millionaires, the greed of Nazi art collectors and a positivist faith in the authority of laboratory science all contributed to the emergence of conservation science as a new discipline. Yet, not before the aftermath years of the Second World War was scientific expertise accepted as valid knowledge by both art critics and the general public. Becoming an expert depended not only on knowledge and skills, but also on the successful negotiation of the vested interests of a wide range of stakeholders. The creation of museum laboratories proved to be decisive in making space for science in the world of art.

Dubbelportret: Michiel-Florent Van Langren (ca. 1600-1675) als ingenieur en astronoom

Double Portrait: M.-F. van Langren, engineer and astronomer Michiel-Florent van Langren, royal cosmographer of the Spanish King in the Southern Netherlands, is best known for his publication of the first lunar map with a topographical nomenclature (1645). As an astronomer, he was well received in intellectual circles, as can be seen in his correspondence with Puteanus, Della Faille and Boulliau. Yet, with respect to his immediate environment, he complained of a lack of recognition and obstruction to his work. He engaged in endless controversies over engineering projects, in which he referred to his status as astronomer and mathematician to counter the arguments of the court engineers. These polemical writings allow to assess Van Langren’s double identity as astronomer and engineer, and his attempts to find a place for himself among the learned astronomers and mathematicians of his age. Further - more, the example of Van Langren suggests that in the intellectual world of the Spanish Netherlands a social or epistemological antagonism existed or was constructed between academic science and practical knowledge.