Abstract

This article addresses how the past was used in the foundation of nineteenth-century natural sciences. Mainly referring to Jacob Moleschott’s lectures and speeches as historical sources and applying the concepts of «invented tradition» and «imagined communities» as analytical tools, it sheds new light on the relationship between scientific materialism and history. In contrast to the still broadly accepted idea that conceives of the natural sciences in general and of scientific materialism in particular both as being opposed to the humanities and as breaking with existing traditions, the article holds that, in the epoch of professionalization, the construction of a tradition for one’s own discipline served as an authoritative foundation for new specialized fields of scientific expertise. Moreover, it shows how, by connecting the past with the present, science historiography played a key role in the context of nation-building, contributing to the legitimation of nation-states.