Drawing on an astonishing breadth of research, Shapiro probes the fact's changing identity from an alleged human action to a proven natural or human happening. The crucial first step in this transition occurred in the sixteenth century when English common law established a definition of fact which relied on eyewitnesses and testimony. The concept widened to cover natural as well as human events as a result of developments in news reportage and travel writing. Only then, Shapiro discovers, did scientific philosophy adopt the category "fact." With Francis Bacon advocating more stringent criteria, the witness became a vital component in scientific observation and experimentation. Shapiro also recounts how England's preoccupation with the fact influenced historiography, religion, and literature—which saw the creation of a fact-oriented fictional genre, the novel.
Drawing on an astonishing breadth of research, Shapiro probes the fact's changing identity from an alleged human action to a proven natural or human happening. The crucial first step in this transition occurred in the sixteenth century when English common law established a definition of fact which relied on eyewitnesses and testimony. The concept widened to cover natural as well as human events as a result of developments in news reportage and travel writing. Only then, Shapiro discovers, did scientific philosophy adopt the category "fact." With Francis Bacon advocating more stringent criteria, the witness became a vital component in scientific observation and experimentation. Shapiro also recounts how England's preoccupation with the fact influenced historiography, religion, and literature—which saw the creation of a fact-oriented fictional genre, the novel.
![A Culture of Fact: England, 1550-1720](http://img.images-bn.com/static/redesign/srcs/images/grey-box.png?v11.12.6)
A Culture of Fact: England, 1550-1720
296![A Culture of Fact: England, 1550-1720](http://img.images-bn.com/static/redesign/srcs/images/grey-box.png?v11.12.6)
A Culture of Fact: England, 1550-1720
296Hardcover
Product Details
ISBN-13: | 9780801436864 |
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Publisher: | Cornell University Press |
Publication date: | 11/17/1999 |
Series: | 8/27/2007 |
Pages: | 296 |
Product dimensions: | 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.06(d) |
Age Range: | 18 Years |