In Defence of Biography: The Use of Biography in the History of Science
In Defence of Biography: The Use of Biography in the History of Science
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为传记辩护：传记在科学史上的运用
DOI：
10.1177/007327537901700101
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发表时间：
1979
影响因子：
0.5
通讯作者：
T. Hankins
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
T. Hankins
本特利对传记的定义在简洁的表达上几乎没有什么可取之处，但正如地理学家所做的不仅仅是绘制地图，传记作家所做的不仅仅是绘制生活图表或描绘他的主题的个性。“”然而，这个“更多”是什么，仍然是一个有争议的问题，因为传记的有用性取决于它被用来做什么。无论是赞美逝者、宣扬道德、教授历史，还是赚钱，传记作者都采用了最适合他目的的方法。传记的种类繁多，对文学评论家或外交史家来说合适的形式，对科学史家来说可能根本不合适。事实上，科学史对传记作者提出了特殊的要求，我在这篇文章中要讨论的正是这些要求。
For terseness of expression Bentley's definition of biography leaves little to be desired, but just as the geographer does more than draw maps, the biographer does more than chart the life or sketch the personality of his subject. ""hat this 'more' is, however, remains a matter of debate, because the usefulness of biography depends on what it is being used for. Whether it is to praise the departed, preach morality, teach history, or make money, the biographer adopts a method best suited to his purpose. The variety of biography is immense, and what may be the proper form for a literary critic or a diplomatic historian may not be proper at all for the historian of science. In fact, history of science places peculiar demands on the biographer, and it is these demands that I should like to discuss in this paper.