Aphoristic Science

Abstract

My current book project, Aphoristic Science, argues that a speculative style of writing shaped the emergence of empirical science in the nineteenth century. Literary techniques like ambiguity and suggestive metaphor opened science to possibilities in early readers that the later professionalization of science has since foreclosed. By pairing American writers with their European counterparts, Aphoristic Science explores a transatlantic stream of open-ended, aphoristic science writing that emerged in Germany and reached maturity in the United States. Unlike the pithy maxim, the aphorism remains open to a plurality of interpretations, disrupting system-building by encouraging ongoing experimentation. Through the interactive potential of an aphoristic style, nineteenth-century science writers fostered readerly engagement that transcended disciplinary boundaries. Aphoristic Science focuses on ecology and psychology—two fields emerging out of more general “natural philosophy”—to build a genealogy of nineteenth-century writers who explored both nonhuman nature and the human mind with a speculative style. The book contributes to ongoing conversations in the environmental humanities, cognitive literary theory, and reception theory. By exploring the links and influences between nineteenth-century American literature and the emergence of new scientific writing, Aphoristic Science suggests an approach to present-day scientific inquiry that emphasizes open-ended readerly interaction.