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Edward Grant (April 6, 1926 – June 21, 2020) was an American historian of
medieval science The history of science covers the development of science from ancient times to the present. It encompasses all three major branches of science: natural, social, and formal. Protoscience, early sciences, and natural philosophies such as alch ...
. He was named a distinguished professor in 1983. Other honors include the 1992
George Sarton Medal The George Sarton Medal is the most prestigious award given by the History of Science Society. It has been awarded annually since 1955. It is awarded to a historian of science from the international community who became distinguished for "a lifet ...
, for "a lifetime scholarly achievement" as an historian of
science Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...
.Academic page in Indiana University
(archived 4 November 2013)


Biography

Edward Grant was born in 1926. He initially attended trade school and joined the US Navy, serving as a radarman on the USS San Jacinto in the
Pacific Ocean theater of World War II The Pacific Ocean theater of World War II was a major theater of the Pacific War, the war between the Allies and the Empire of Japan. It included the U.S. Pacific Ocean Areas (command). which included most of the Pacific Ocean and its isl ...
. After this military service, he attended City College in
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
where he graduated in 1951. He continued to the
University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...
where he received a
master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...
and a
PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...
in the history of science and medieval history in 1957. During this time, Grant spent a year at the
University of Utrecht Utrecht University (UU; , formerly ''Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht'') is a public research university in Utrecht, Netherlands. Established , it is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands. In 2023, it had an enrollment of 39,769 students, a ...
as a
Fulbright Scholar The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States cultural exchange programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the peopl ...
from 1955 to 1956. Grant began his teaching career while a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin. He was an assistant to a well-known scholar in the field,
Marshall Clagett Marshall Clagett (January 23, 1916, Washington, D.C. – October 21, 2005, Princeton, New Jersey) was an American historian of science who specialized first in medieval science and later in Ancient Egyptian science. John E. Murdoch described him ...
, whom he would continue to respect and correspond with throughout his career. Grant taught at the
University of Maine The University of Maine (UMaine) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Orono, Maine, United States. It was established in 1865 as the land-grant college of Maine and is the Flagship universitie ...
and in the
history of science The history of science covers the development of science from ancient history, ancient times to the present. It encompasses all three major branches of science: natural science, natural, social science, social, and formal science, formal. Pr ...
program at
Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
. In 1959, Grant came to
Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a state university system, system of Public university, public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. The system has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration o ...
as an assistant professor of history. His teaching career spanned over thirty years at IU. He was instrumental in starting the department later to be known as history and philosophy of science. Grant was named distinguished professor of both that department and the history department. A distinguished medievalist, Grant wrote prolifically throughout his professorship at IU. Professor Grant was twice chair of his department (1973–1979; 1987–1990) where he taught courses on
medieval science The history of science covers the development of science from ancient times to the present. It encompasses all three major branches of science: natural, social, and formal. Protoscience, early sciences, and natural philosophies such as alch ...
,
natural philosophy Natural philosophy or philosophy of nature (from Latin ''philosophia naturalis'') is the philosophical study of physics, that is, nature and the physical universe, while ignoring any supernatural influence. It was dominant before the develop ...
and
science and religion The relationship between religion and science involves discussions that interconnect the study of the natural world, history, philosophy, and theology. Even though the Ancient history, ancient and Middle Ages, medieval worlds did not have conc ...
. Grant was given the title Distinguished Professor
Emeritus ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". In some c ...
, Department of
History and Philosophy of Science The history and philosophy of science (HPS) is an academic discipline that encompasses the philosophy of science and the history of science. Although many scholars in the field are trained primarily as either historians or as philosophers, there ...
, Indiana University. Grant was also a prominent member of several organizations, such as the
Medieval Academy of America The Medieval Academy of America (MAA; spelled Mediaeval until ) is the largest organization in the United States promoting the field of medieval studies. It was founded in 1925 and is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The academy publishes the q ...
, the
International Academy of the History of Science The International Academy of the History of Science () is a membership organization for historians of science. The Academy was founded on 17 August 1928 at the Congress of Historical Science by Aldo Mieli, Abel Rey, George Sarton, Henry E. Sig ...
, and the
History of Science Society The History of Science Society (HSS), founded in 1924, is the primary professional society for the academic study of the history of science. The society has over 3,000 members worldwide. It publishes the quarterly journal ''Isis'' and the yearly ...
. He served as vice-president of the
History of Science Society The History of Science Society (HSS), founded in 1924, is the primary professional society for the academic study of the history of science. The society has over 3,000 members worldwide. It publishes the quarterly journal ''Isis'' and the yearly ...
from 1983 to 1984 and as president from 1985 to 1986. Grant was also a frequent lecturer for organizations, such as the
Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...
Associates Panel of Distinguished Speakers from 1990 to 1998. Grant received many honors and awards, including the
George Sarton Medal The George Sarton Medal is the most prestigious award given by the History of Science Society. It has been awarded annually since 1955. It is awarded to a historian of science from the international community who became distinguished for "a lifet ...
in 1992, the most prestigious award given by the
History of Science Society The History of Science Society (HSS), founded in 1924, is the primary professional society for the academic study of the history of science. The society has over 3,000 members worldwide. It publishes the quarterly journal ''Isis'' and the yearly ...
that "recognizes those whose entire careers have been devoted to the field and whose scholarship is exceptional."


Work

Grant's edited volume ''A Source Book of Medieval Science'' (1974) was praised as an "admirable anthology" and a "milestone" for the field of study of medieval science by historian of medieval technology
Lynn White Jr. Lynn Townsend White Jr. (April 29, 1907 – March 30, 1987) was an American historian of technology and college president. He was an instructor in medieval history at Princeton University from 1933 to 1937, a professor at Stanford University fro ...
In his book ''The Foundations of Modern Science in the Middle Ages: Their Religious, Institutional and Intellectual Contexts'' (1996), Grant discussed the developments and discoveries that culminated in the
Scientific Revolution The Scientific Revolution was a series of events that marked the emergence of History of science, modern science during the early modern period, when developments in History of mathematics#Mathematics during the Scientific Revolution, mathemati ...
of the 17th century. He emphasized how the roots of modern science were planted in the ancient and medieval worlds long before the modern period, and that the Christian Latin civilization of Western Europe began the last stage of its intellectual development. One basic factor was how
Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...
developed in the West with the establishment of the
medieval universities A medieval university was a Corporation#History, corporation organized during the Middle Ages for the purposes of higher education. The first Western European institutions generally considered to be University, universities were established in p ...
around 1200. In ''God and Reason in the Middle Ages'' (2001) he argued that the
Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
had acquired an undeserved reputation as an age of superstition, barbarism, and unreason.


Selected publications

Edward Grant published more than ninety articles and twelve books, including: * ''Physical Science in the Middle Ages'' (1971), originally John Wiley. Reprinted for the series Cambridge Studies in the History of Science, Cambridge University Press. (1978 paperback edition) * ''A Source Book of Medieval Science'' (1974), edited, Harvard University Press. * ''Much Ado About Nothing: Theories of Space and Vacuum from the Middle Ages to the Scientific Revolution'' (1981), Cambridge University Press. (2011 online edition) * ''Planets, Stars, & Orbs: The Medieval Cosmos, 1200–1687'' (1994), Cambridge University Press. * ''The Foundations of Modern Science in the Middle Ages'' (1996), Cambridge Studies in the History of Science, Cambridge University Press. * ''God and Reason in the Middle Ages'' (2001), Cambridge University Press. (2009 online edition) * ''Science and Religion, 400 B.C. to A.D. 1550: From Aristotle to Copernicus'' (2004), Johns Hopkins University Press. * ''A History of Natural Philosophy from the Ancient World to the Nineteenth Century'' (2007), Cambridge University Press. (2012 online edition)


References


External links


Harvard University Press

Edward Grant papers, 1950-2001
at the Indiana University Archives. {{DEFAULTSORT:Grant, Edward American historians of science Indiana University faculty University of Maine faculty Harvard University faculty 2020 deaths American philosophers of science 1926 births Historians from Indiana