‘A New Scientific Conception of the Human World’: Anton Pannekoek’s Understanding of Scientific Socialism

Steen, B.S. van der (2019)

Part of book or chapter of book

This paper sets out to reconstruct Pannekoek’s understanding of scientific socialism in order to reconnect Pannekoek’s political and astronomical work. It does so through a close reading of Pannekoek’s early socialist essays, where he repeatedly referred to socialism’s scientific character, explaining it in various ways. From this reading, three different but closely related conceptions of scientific socialism can be abstracted. For Pannekoek, socialism was scientific in that it embraced modern science, in that it supposedly uncovered the laws of societal development, and in that it foretold the advent of socialism. The paper shows how, for Pannekoek, socialism was the only ideology with a true interest in scientific research and findings. This line of reasoning allowed Pannekoek to connect his astronomical and socialist persona.

• History of Science , Technology
• Astronomy
• Political History
• Socialism

• All authors: Steen, B.S. van der
• Editor(s): Tai, C.; Dongen, J. van
• Date: 2019
• Title of host publication: Anton Pannekoek: Ways of Viewing Science and Society
• Pages: 137 - 156
• ISBN (electronic): 978-90-485-3500-2
• DOI: doi:10.2307/j.ctvp7d57c.9
• Link: https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvp7d57c.9