Scientia est potentia: Renesanční věda ve službách španělského impéria

Abstract

The central theme of this study is the question of the relationship of knowledge and power in Renaissance Spain. The text concentrates on the analysis of association between knowledge of the New World and the political and economic interests of the Spanish Empire in the period of 1492-1598. The main goal is to characterize the specific forms of the Spanish scientific activity (the first scientific expedition of dr. Hernández, the first chair of cosmography in Seville and the questionnaires from ”Indias”) together with the specific features of this knowledge (empiricism, utilitarism, cooperation etc.)