External Historiography of Science: A Review on Hessen-Grossmann Thesis

Boris Hessen (1893-1936) presented his paper on the role of social and ideological parameters in history of science in which he asserted that Isaac Newton's most famous work was created to cater to the goals and desires of 17th century industry and economy. Hessen asserted that Newton's work was inspired by his economic status and context, that the Principia was little more than the solution of technical problems ofthe bourgeoisie. Just in a short while after him another Marxist mathematician who is called Grossmann published two papers on a similar and complement thesis about Cartesian mechanism. Though Hessen’s work is now easily dismissed as "vulgar Marxism", the composition of these two theses can present a better story of how the external parameters influences over history of science.