TY - JOUR
T1 - Measuring and Manipulating the Rhine River Branches
T2 - Interactions of Theory and Embodied Understanding in Eighteenth Century River Hydraulics
AU - Kleinhans, Maarten G.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors. Berichte zur Wissenschaftsgeschichte published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.
PY - 2023/12
Y1 - 2023/12
N2 - Eighteenth century river hydraulics used both theory and measurement to address problems of flood safety, navigation and defense related to the rivers. In the late eighteenth century the Dutch overseer of the rivers, Christiaan Brunings, integrated hydraulic theory and meteorological practices, which enabled him to design a unique instrument for measuring river flow. The question is whether the unprecedented detail of measurements fits the putative empirical stance in the eighteenth century. The interactions between theory, instrument, measurement, and other knowledge practices are here assessed using experiences in similar measurement practices. I argue that Brunings had theoretical and embodied understanding of hydrodynamics, as he knew how to design an instrument for flow measurement of sufficient accuracy for his purpose in the sociopolitical context of river management.
AB - Eighteenth century river hydraulics used both theory and measurement to address problems of flood safety, navigation and defense related to the rivers. In the late eighteenth century the Dutch overseer of the rivers, Christiaan Brunings, integrated hydraulic theory and meteorological practices, which enabled him to design a unique instrument for measuring river flow. The question is whether the unprecedented detail of measurements fits the putative empirical stance in the eighteenth century. The interactions between theory, instrument, measurement, and other knowledge practices are here assessed using experiences in similar measurement practices. I argue that Brunings had theoretical and embodied understanding of hydrodynamics, as he knew how to design an instrument for flow measurement of sufficient accuracy for his purpose in the sociopolitical context of river management.
KW - embodied understanding
KW - measurement instrument
KW - practice of knowledge creation
KW - river hydraulics
KW - water management
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85167363149&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/bewi.202300004
DO - 10.1002/bewi.202300004
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85167363149
SN - 0170-6233
VL - 46
SP - 336
EP - 357
JO - Berichte zur Wissenschaftsgeschichte
JF - Berichte zur Wissenschaftsgeschichte
IS - 4
ER -