How Wilhelm Dilthey influenced popular science writing

Kurd Laßwitz's "Homchen. Ein Tiermärchen aus der oberen Kreide"

Safia Azzouni

pp. 61-79

in: Uljana Feest (ed), Historical perspectives on Erklären and Verstehen, Berlin, Springer, 2010

Abstract

In the second half of the nineteenth century, popularization of science appeared to be a necessity of the time. Scientists and politicians discussed the pros and cons of making scientific knowledge accessible to the public. The question of how and by whom popularization should be done was a common topic in newspapers and magazines of the time. Even though museums as well as zoological and botanical gardens played an important role in disseminating knowledge, it can be said that the popularization of science basically was (and probably still is) a "language-based event".¹

Cited authors

Dilthey Wilhelm

Laßwitz Kurd