In studying the evolution of knowledge, historians have traditionally focused on processes of transmission and succession of knowledge, memory being a central category for the explanation of these processes. But what about the failures, the knowledge that was forgotten? In order to understand why and how knowledge traveled, we must also understand why and how knowledge was lost, suppressed, misunderstood, rejected, or simply forgotten.

But what does it mean to define knowledge as forgotten? What does forgetting mean? And can forgetting be understood and told as such, as an active process which is not necessarily the "other side" of memory? Attempting to address these and related questions, the conference will be organized around four sessions, each focusing on one aspect of forgotten knowledge. Each session is jointly organized by colleagues from the MPIWG and at least one of the Dutch Institutions, structured around input talks with a follow up discussion.

Organized by the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in cooperation with The Descartes Center—Utrecht University, The Vossius Center—University of Amsterdam, and Huygens ING