THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING SECRET (OPENNESS VS. SECRECY IN SCIENCE OF THE EPOCH OF INTELLECTUAL REVOLUTION OF XVI-XVII cc.)

Traditional historiography o f science has constructed secrecy in opposition to openness. It is demonstrated that openness and secrecy are often interlocked. Focusing on the early modern period, two cases are introduced that are difficult to analyze with a simple oppositional understanding o f openness and secrecy: 1) Isaac Newton's refusal to publish his me th o d o f series and fluxions, and 2) the tensions within the Royal Society, between the ideal o f openness and the practical need fo r secrecy. In these cases the dynamic o f access and control cannot straightforwardly be classified in a dichotomy «open - secretive».

Authors: I. S. Dmitriev

Direction: Philosophical Sciences

Keywords: Secrecy, openness, Isaac Newton, Royal Society of London

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