The Case of Self-Publishing Science Amateurs and their Quest for Authority in 18th-Century Paris: An Introduction to “Fringe Science in Print: Authority, Knowledge, and Publication, 16th -19th Century”

In the early modern period, several learned societies – especially the science academies founded across Europe in the 17^th century – strove to assert their authority over scientific knowledge. They assembled the best experts, promoted new discoveries, and established scientific standards. Thus, a relationship between the authorities and the dissemination of knowledge was established relatively quickly through the publications they approved. However, despite these societies’ attempt at control, science was not restricted to the learned elite. Especially at the dawn of the Enlightenment, science – here understood as any form of technical and theoretical knowledge – was slowly becoming an integral part of the cultural lives of individuals with diverse interests and backgrounds. To illustrate this new fascination, one need only recall the increasing popularity of “scientific” (or “pseudo-scientific”) spectacles, the interest in curiosity cabinets, and the creation of museums and other institutions open to the general public. This enthusiasm is also apparent in the sphere of writing, as indicated by the growth of books and periodicals of a scientific nature. Already by 1735, Voltaire wrote, “Poetry is no longer in fashion in Paris. Everybody is now playing the part of a mathematician or a physicist.” With the rise of literacy more and more amateurs wanted to participate in the great scientific debates and publish their work. Thanks to their efforts, many “marginal” authors established a new voice and promoted their ideas to a new and broader readership. In light of the growing scientific community within the publishing world, what role did publication play in the dissemination of scientific ideas and the establishment of new dynamics of power and authority between academic institutions, authors, and their public(s)? More specifically, how was the modern concept of “science” forged, and how has it distinguished itself over time from “fringe science,” that is, any realm of knowledge considered marginal or outside of the norm set by established scientific authorities? What contribution to science could individuals “at the fringe” of institutions, or of society, make, especially through print? In order to explore some aspects of these broader questions, we have assembled several papers dealing with “fringe science in print”—across continents and over the span of a few hundred years—in the hopes of contributing to the study of scientific authorship. By way of introduction to these individual essays, I propose to first look at the research that inspired me to ask these questions, namely the study of authors who self-published works of a scientific nature at the end of the Old Regime in France. I will then take a brief look at the various case studies here assembled and consider how the questions of authority, science, and print are present throughout the early modern period and beyond. Established in 1666 by Jean-Baptiste Colbert, the Académie Royale des Sciences held supreme authority over scientific knowledge in France during the Enlightenment. Its mission was to gather the best experts, to promote new research and discoveries, and to set scientific standards. Another important function of the Académie was the dissemination of knowledge, especially through the publication of the works written by its members, and also the ones that gained the institution’s coveted approval. For this purpose, the state granted the Académie an exclusive “royal printing privilège” to be used at its discretion, thus creating an important dynamic of reciprocity between the scientific authorities and the sphere of print. As the works of several historians—including Roger Hahn, Daniel Roche, and Michael Lynn—have shown, the role and presence of science in France underwent significant changes from the 17^th to the 18^th century. Whereas the audience for scientific …