Jesuit Science in America: The Bulletin of the American Association of Jesuit Scientists (1922–66) (original) (raw)
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Jesuit contribution to science, 1814-2000. A Historiographical Essay
After their restoration in 1814, the Jesuits renewed their scientific tradition and have continued it up to the present day. Although this period has not received as much attention as the one stretching from the foundation of the order in 1540 to its suppression in 1773, the establishment of observatories throughout the world, beginning in 1824 and tapering off since about 1970, has aroused a certain degree of interest among historians. Articles on the subject are divided into those of general scope and those dealing with specific observatories. The fields of astronomy, meteorology, and geophysics are of particular interest, and special attention is given to the study of tropical hurricanes, seismology, and geomagnetism. These articles are a good source of information about Jesuits' work in the observatories. But other Jesuit scientific contributions have received little attention. One such neglected subject is the research conducted at Jesuit colleges and universities in fields like mathematics, physics, and biology. Contributions to biology and environmental studies, especially in India, are a more recent concern that the literature has yet to address. Another area awaiting fuller development is the biography of Jesuit scientists, although some attention has been given to Angelo Secchi (1818–78) and Stephen Perry (1833–89). (Pierre Teilhard de Chardin [1881–1955], who has a very abundant bibliography devoted to him, is a special case.) The spirituality of Jesuit scientists and their position in the dialogue between science and religion are ripe for further exploration as well.
JESUIT SCIENTIFIC TRADITION. A SUMMARY
Since their foundation Jesuits have a remarkable scientific tradition not comparable con that of any other institution in the Catholic Church. Here I present a summary of the different contributions of Jesuits to the natural sciences. It is divided into two parts. The first from the foundation of the order in 1540 to its suppression in 1773. The second from its restoration in 1814 to the present. A bibliography is added of general works on the subject.
Jesuit Science Revisited: Scope, Usefulness, and Challenges of a Historiographical Label
Archivum Historicum Societatis Iesu, 2022
The label of ‘Jesuit Science’ is frequently used in academic and popular literature, but it remains rather poorly defined and is in fact avoided by some specialists in the field. The present essay places some of the most recent monographic publications on Jesuit contributions to science within a critical discussion about the scope, usefulness, and challenges of the label ‘Jesuit Science’ in historical research. With this meta-study I set out an argument for what I call a case-sensitive approach to the term, that is, the importance of distinguishing between different notions of ‘Jesuit Science’. In some cases, it might be possible and useful to identify something specifically Jesuit, while in other cases it might be more prudent and adequate to highlight the shared ground with other historical actors and not to stipulate any core Jesuit identity beyond the actors being members of the Society of Jesus.
2019
We first point out that the Holy See and the Vatican City State are two different entities. The Holy See has established or directs several universities, academies and other institutes of higher learning, be it that most of them are related to ecclesiastical and religious studies. Best known among these institutes is the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. Next we performed a bibliometric study, by searching for “Vatican*” as a country (CU=Vatican*) or as a city (CI=Vatican*) in the Web of Science (WoS). To the results of this query we added documents with (Vatican* OR “Pontifical acad*) in the address field and Rome as city. This search yielded 733 documents. This is the primary data source we investigated. The number of documents published yearly shows a clear increase, but citations are generally low. “Vatican” scientists (at least as covered by the WoS) are mostly interested in astronomy and related physics, followed – at a large distance – by religion as a research area and medicin...
Jesuit scientific tradition and Ignatian spirituality
Abstract: From its foundation by St. Ignatius in 1540 and linked to its educational work, the Society of Jesus has maintained a continuous and institutional involvement in the natural sciences unparalleled by any other religious order in the Catholic Church. Because its foundation coincided with the beginning of modern science and the educational work in colleges and universities, mathematical and experimental science was soon introduced in their programs. Thus the Jesuit scientific tradition was established. This tradition can be explained by the characteristics of Jesuit or Ignatian spirituality, a mystique of service, understood as a service to God through the apostolic ministry to men. At its core is the emphasis of “finding God in all things” and seeking in their work the greater glory of God. This leads Jesuits sometimes to unconventional work on the frontiers an example of which is scientific work. Jesuit scientists found an affinity between scientific work and their spirituality and try to integrate both together in their lives.
Archivum Historicum Societatis Iesu , 2022
After 1814-when the Society of Jesus was restored following its papal suppression in 1773-a new chapter in the history of Jesuit contributions to the natural sciences began. In Europe, during the nineteenth century, there was a profound change in education, which increasingly came to be viewed as a public service to be delivered by the state. Thus, governments established new public institutions at all levels of education with peremptory official regulations and study programs at the three established levels (i.e., primary, secondary and tertiary or university). Private institutions also were bound to follow these regulations overseen by the state. Within these education programs, a pronounced emphasis was placed on the natural sciences. In the case of the newly-restored Society of Jesus, which had lost custodianship of the many schools and universities entrusted to it before the suppression, mainly in Europe (nearly six hundred in total)-Jesuits found they needed to adapt these programs to the new and restored institutions of the Society. As a consequence, many Jesuits became teachers and professors of natural sciences in their educational institutions (primary and secondary schools, colleges, and universities), both those that were new foundations as well as those with which they were associated before the suppression. In so doing, they were following a tradition already present in the Old Society. Jesuit-run schools and colleges, especially at the secondary school