Historici op hun ergst en op hun best

Abstract

Historians at their worst and at their best In the STS research program at the University of Twente, empirical reflection on science and technology is presented as the shared objective of contributing historians, sociologists, and philosophers alike. In commenting on this program, the author discusses (a) historization as a balancing act between post factum wisdom and just 'following the actor', and (b) the need, consequent upon the wholesome demise of historically untenable modes of hero-worship, to seek more responsible pathways toward incorporating the undeniable heroics of science into our accounts.