Insights into the Relationships between Humanities and Sciences - A working outlook

This book offers an overview of existing and developing relationships between humanities and science, considering those that have developed throughout centuries and still persist, as well as novel relationships whose design needs to respond to modern challenges. Its content responds to modern challenges, as the relationships between humanities and sciences are becoming a hot theme, above all because of the increasing awareness of the importance of their synergies to pursue sustainability effectively, and in view of the merger of the former International Council for Science (ICS) and the International Social Science Council (ISSC) into one body. The main challenge is the identification of practical routes for constructive synergies. Knowing about existing and possible synergies is the key, but this knowledge is not yet sufficiently present. How many people would be able to mention examples in which some humanities-born tool is fundamental in the sciences or some science-born tool in the humanities? The book proposes responses. Because of increasing tendencies to underestimate the roles of humanities, the book devotes extensive attention to the negative impacts resulting from the neglect of humanities-born expertise. It also sheds light on the fact that the separation between humanities and sciences is not as sharply defined as often assumed.
This book is of great value to students, teachers and researchers (at any level) who wish to broaden their professional perspectives or attain a more complete understanding of human intellectual activities. It can also be useful to anybody who has to make decisions about curricula and educational approaches.

List of contents

Chapter 1. History of the Relationships Between Humanities and Sciences, since Ancient Times.- Chapter 2. The Parting of the Ways A Chapter on the History of the Increasing Separation of the Two Domains, up to the Current Dichotomy.- Chapter 3. The Search for Contacts A Chapter on the History of the Search for Contacts and Relationships, up to the Merger of ICSU and ISSC.- Chapter 4. What Belongs to Which Domain.- Chapter 5. Scientific Details or Information Included in Novels.- Chapter 6. Poetry Related to Science.- Chapter 7. Science Writing and Beautiful Writing.- Chapter 8. Ethics and Science An Overview of Questions and Reflections.- Chapter 9. The Scientific Method.- Chapter 10. Logic.- Chapter 11. The Language of Science.- Chapter 12. The History of Science.

About the author

Liliana Mammino obtained a degree in chemistry from the University of Pisa (Italy, her home country) and a Ph.D. in chemistry from Moscow State University (Russia). She is currently an Emeritus Professor at the University of Venda (South Africa), where she has been working since 1997, teaching the physical chemistry courses at all levels, the first-year general chemistry course and the third-year process technology course, and establishing computational chemistry research de novo. Her earlier work experiences include chemistry teaching at the National University of Somalia (1974–1975), University of Zambia (1988–1992), and National University of Lesotho (1993–1996). Her research interests comprise theoretical chemistry, with main focus on the computational study of biologically active molecules, and chemistry education, with main focus on conceptual understanding and the roles played by language and visualization, and on education for sustainable development, with particular attention to green chemistry education. She has published extensively in these areas. She represents Division III of IUPAC (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry) at the Interdivisional Committee on Green Chemistry for Sustainable Development of IUPAC. In 2013, she was one of the recipients of the IUPAC Award for Distinguished Women in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. Her pre-university education entailed extensive humanities education, and she has maintained this interest throughout, above all in relation to the use of language and to the history of science, including science aspects in traditional practices. In 2016, she received an award from the African Language Association of Southern Africa (ALASA) for “the most outstanding article in sociolinguistics in 2015”. In 2024, she was awarded the Chemistry Education medal by the South African Chemical Institute.

Summary

This book offers an overview of existing and developing relationships between humanities and science, considering those that have developed throughout centuries and still persist, as well as novel relationships whose design needs to respond to modern challenges. Its content responds to modern challenges, as the relationships between humanities and sciences are becoming a hot theme, above all because of the increasing awareness of the importance of their synergies to pursue sustainability effectively, and in view of the merger of the former International Council for Science (ICS) and the International Social Science Council (ISSC) into one body. The main challenge is the identification of practical routes for constructive synergies. Knowing about existing and possible synergies is the key, but this knowledge is not yet sufficiently present. How many people would be able to mention examples in which some humanities-born tool is fundamental in the sciences or some science-born tool in the humanities? The book proposes responses. Because of increasing tendencies to underestimate the roles of humanities, the book devotes extensive attention to the negative impacts resulting from the neglect of humanities-born expertise. It also sheds light on the fact that the separation between humanities and sciences is not as sharply defined as often assumed.
This book is of great value to students, teachers and researchers (at any level) who wish to broaden their professional perspectives or attain a more complete understanding of human intellectual activities. It can also be useful to anybody who has to make decisions about curricula and educational approaches.

Product details

• Assisted by: Liliana Mammino (Editor)
• Publisher: Springer, Berlin
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Release: 10.11.2025
• EAN: 9783031978999
• ISBN: 978-3-0-3197899-9
• No. of pages: 190
• Illustrations: X, 190 p.
• Subjects: Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Biology > Biochemistry, biophysics; Wissenschaftsphilosophie und -theorie, Philosophy of Science, Chemical biology, ethics and science, the language of science, the history of science, poetry related to science, humanities and medicine, humanities and environmental sciences, relationships between humanities and sciences