Ways of Knowing in Early Modern Science

Peter Apian, Cosmographia, f. 49r, Antwerp, 1574, Rare Book and Printed Materials Collection, SCRC, Syracuse University Libraries

Bird Library, 6th Floor

August 28, 2023 - December 20, 2023

The motto of Syracuse University is “Suos cultores scientia coronat,” or “Knowledge crowns those who seek her.” But what are the sources of our knowledge? How we know what we know as individuals and societies depends on how we understand the nature of knowledge. In this exhibition, Curator of Early to Pre-20th century at the Special Collections Research Center (SCRC), Irina Savinetskaya, highlights ten reproduced images from SCRC’s rare book collection to encourage the viewer to explore how scientific knowledge, predominantly grounded in direct observation and tradition, was created, managed, and disseminated in printed form in early modern Europe. The exhibition will be on view at SCRC, Bird Library, 6th floor hallway for the fall 2023 semester.