Knowledge Transformation and Strands of Notation

Thomas Harriot’s (1560–1621) Working Notes as a Representation of Early Modern Scientific Practice

2023–2025

RFG03

Courtesy of the British Library Board, Add. Ms. 6788, folio 50r.

This project takes the working notes of early modern mathematician, natural philosopher and pioneer of modern science, Thomas Harriot (1560–1621) as a basis and a starting point to investigate the pathways of transformation within the early modern European knowledge system that eventually led to the emergence of modern science. In this endeavor, the reconstruction of the shared knowledge of the time and its transformation in working processes on one hand, and the material analysis of the manuscript, ranging from page layout and script to paper type and ink analysis, on the other, are expected to mutually benefit.

The notes include Latin and English text, algebraic notation, geometric constructions, calculations, architectural plans and drawings: they are thus multilingual and multigraphic. The non-linear and elliptic character of the material, the irregular and chaotic visual organization of the notes, and the unordered state of the manuscripts, mean that material as well as content-related analysis are necessary and should mutually support each other.

Depending on the course of the investigation, similar notes and manuscripts by other early modern authors such as Galileo Galilei (1564–1642) or earlier authors such as Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) may be included in the study for the sake of comparison.

People

Project lead: Stefano Farinella