The Globalization of Knowledge in History and its Normative Challenges

Abstract

The paper discusses the relationship between history of law and history of science. It argues that just as the history of science has recently been widened to include a more encompassing history of knowledge, the history of law may also be conceived of as part of a larger history of normativity. Science and law, when viewed as cultural abstractions deriving from reflections on concrete practices and experiences along historical trajectories, must be understood from a global perspective. Aspects of a global history of knowledge that shaped the emergence of modern science inform this approach.