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Galilæana. Studies in Renaissance and Early Modern Science

Focus

Vol. 23 No. 2 (2026)

Knowledge in use: Books of the mechanical arts as objects and sources of knowledge in late medieval and early modern Europe

DOI
https://doi.org/10.57617/gal-125
Submitted
1 April 2026
Published
2026-11-01

Abstract

The paper offers a historiographical reflection on how scholars can approach sources that emerged from the world of the mechanical arts in the late medieval and early modern period. It situates these sources within scholarly discussions on the history of science, economic history, and the history of technology. Drawing on historical epistemology, the social history of science, and philological studies of primary sources, the paper elaborates on how standard interpretative frameworks apply poorly to these texts, and suggests possible approaches to understand them. The conclusion reflects on how these sources can interrogate our own practice of historical research.

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