Study Guide: Chapter 11 — The Invisibility of Revolutions

Core Concept

Textbooks rewrite history after every revolution, casting the past as linear approach to the present. The cumulative image of science is manufactured by pedagogy — functional for training, corrosive for judgment.

Key Terms

Textbook science · invisibility · functional distortion · Orwell analogy

Case Summary

Dalton's fixed proportions: textbooks present it as an experimental discovery; historically, atomism forced a redefinition of "compound" that made the law true — a hidden revolution.

Application Checklist

• [ ] Locate what your org's official history smooths over
• [ ] Preserve raw records: memos, dead options, actual arguments
• [ ] Before a big bet, consult the unsanitized version of the last one

Self-Test

1. Why don't science students read primary sources — and what follows?
2. How is the distortion functional rather than conspiratorial?
3. What's the cost of believing your field's linear origin story during a crisis?