Hanna Lucia Worliczek

How can one historicize an epistemological project without being formally trained as a historian? In its fully fledged form, historicized epistemology iteratively undulates between the concrete (historical cases) and the abstract (philosophical concepts), as it is practiced in traditions like integrated history and philosophy of the sciences or historical epistemology. In its less extensive form, it allows philosophers to naturalize their concepts, based on genuine scientific practice. This chapter addresses individuals without formal historical training and explicates guiding principles to go historical, enriched with examples from the historiography of the more recent life sciences. First, a fundamental source-critical approach to analysis and interpretation is discussed based on source genres commonly analyzed by philosophers. Second, the process of demarcating and directing your research focus is explained through selectivity by two means: frameworks and sources. And finally, selecting cases and historically contextualizing developments in the sciences is addressed. The chapter offers ways to get started with situating the knowledge production under inquiry within its relevant historical contexts. It aims to foster a pluralistic stance about philosophical methodology by providing principles to first approach the historical dimensions of a subject, applicable to smaller case studies as well as larger projects in historicized epistemology.

This article draws on and extends Bechtel’s influential work on the historical and philosophical implications of mechanistic research in cell biology. Beginning in the 1940s, cell biology relied on electron microscopy (EM) and cell fractionation, exemplifying the coupled epistemic strategies of structural decomposition and localization through experimental engagement with component parts and operations (Bechtel and Richardson [1993]2010; Bechtel 2006). In the 1970s, however, fluorescence microscopy (FM) enabled visualization of proteins and macromolecular assemblies in intact cells, which transformed mechanistic studies in cell biology. Through a historical analysis of cell adhesion and migration research, we show how the development and use of FM enabled what we call exposition of mechanisms. Instead of physically decomposing cells into component parts, FM allowed researchers to visually expose these parts directly in their spatial-functional context in intact and even living cells. This epistemic strategy retained the mechanistic assumption that living systems can be meaningfully studied through localizable parts and operations. Yet, FM allowed for a more holistic approach to investigate structurally integrated components of minimally decomposable systems, such as focal contacts and the cytoskeleton, thus illustrating the importance of preserving the cellular context.