CULTURE &HISTORY DIGITAL JOURNAL 1(2) December 2012, m103 eISSN 2253-797X doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.3989/chdj.2012.m103 Science and Passion in America Rafael Sagredo Baeza Instituto de Historia, Ponticia Universidad Cato´lica de Chile, Santiago, Chile e-mail:
[email protected] Received: 1 July 2012; Accepted: 2 September 2012; Published online: 8 January 2013 ABSTRACT: In addition to increasing our knowledge and understanding of the naturalists who explored America at various times, particularly in the 18th and 19th centuries, we seek to discuss the personal, intimate, private, and sentimental nature of individuals who are usually described as well-bred, parsimonious, unfeeling, objective, rigorous, and methodical. For the same reason, perhaps, they are assumed to have stayed aloof from any form of sentimental or passionate relationships in the course of their excursions, despite the fact that the latter often lasted not for months but for years, and that in some instances were not conducted overland but involved prolonged voyages on the high seas. KEYWORDS: history of science; American history; naturalists; passions; emotions Citation / Co´mo citar este artı´culo: Sagredo, Rafael (2012) ‘‘Science and Passion in America’’. Culture & History Digital Journal 1(2): m103. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.3989/chdj.2012.m103 RESUMEN: Ciencia y pasio´n en Ame´rica.- Adema´s de avanzar en el conocimiento y comprensio´n de los naturalistas que exploraron Ame´rica en algu´n momento, particularmente en los siglos XVIII y XIX, nos interesa relevar la dimensio´n personal,´ ıntima, privada, sentimental, de sujetos que corrientemente son presentados como hombres comedidos, parcos, frı´os, objetivos, rigurosos y meto´dicos y, tal vez por eso, se supone, ajenos a cualquier tipo de relacio´n sentimental o pasional durante sus excursiones.