ABSTRACT
Following historiography on the development of natural knowledge and its relation to the Enlightenment and Romanticism, the introduction situates the present volume in the perspective of an ongoing research endeavour aimed at understanding the field of knowledge advancement in the decades around 1800. The protagonists of this volume are presented, and a proper term is introduced – devotees of science – to designate these persons of diverse professions and occupations who could and wanted to devote their spare time and personal resources to advancing scientific knowledge. The calling of men and women to become a devotee of science, and its critique – usually voiced by elite scholars – was in tune with the Enlightenment ethos and not infrequently with rising national awareness. The devotees’ role in the second half of the eighteenth century must be understood against the background of traditional scientific institutions reforming and new institutions emerging. Finally, the structure as well as the contributions to the volume are introduced.
