The making of the humanities

This book offers a compelling re-evaluation of the humanities, shedding light on influential scholars often overlooked in mainstream accounts of scientific progress. It argues that figures like Panini, Qian Sima, and Al-Biruni made groundbreaking contributions that deserve wider recognition. The author demonstrates how discoveries within the humanities have profoundly impacted natural sciences, for instance, by laying intellectual groundwork crucial for advancements in fields like genetics and informatics. The review highlights how humanistic philology played a pivotal role in challenging established dogmas and fostering the intellectual climate that led to the Enlightenment and the 17th-century scientific revolution. Furthermore, the book showcases the practical and societal relevance of humanities research, such as in art history determining authenticity or influencing national policies. It posits that humanities scholars, much like their natural science counterparts, consistently seek empirically observable patterns and theoretical principles, challenging a perceived fundamental difference in their approaches to knowledge acquisition.

While largely praised, the book does have a few minor limitations. The review notes that certain geographical regions, such as South America, receive insufficient attention. Additionally, the legal sciences are conspicuously absent from the discussion. The author's approach to differentiating between the humanities and natural sciences is described as highly pragmatic, relying perhaps too heavily on existing institutional classifications. However, the reviewer also acknowledges that this pragmatic choice allows the book to bypass protracted debates on demarcation and instead focus on its core objective of showcasing the achievements of the humanities.

Despite these minor points, the book is ultimately hailed as a beautiful and insightful work that successfully rehabilitates an unjustly neglected domain of scientific knowledge. It serves as an "eye-opener," revealing the extensive and often unacknowledged impact of the humanities throughout history. This book would particularly appeal to readers interested in a broader, more integrated understanding of scientific development, those who wish to challenge conventional narratives about intellectual progress, and anyone eager to appreciate the profound contributions of the humanities to human knowledge and society.