Pleasure and boredom, fear and hope, enthusiasm and despair, happiness and suffering, the whole range of emotions in all their nuances and combinations is the daily material of researchers. This is true for the past, as far back as the 17th and 18th centuries, just as it is true for today, and for all disciplines.
Taking emotions into account restores a dimension to science. It is important to remember the effect that emotions have in the rhythms of work, in people’s engagement in tasks, in the collaboration that takes place at the heart of communities, and of course, in the genesis, production and publication of works.
In a world that has embraced the banner of reason, the study of emotions also allows us to see not just an author’s subjectivity, but importantly his deep humanity.
