Abstract: Taking my contribution to the Dörries volume as a point of departure, I will discuss why the "historical polyphony" which I applaud there, and which is implemented so well in Frayn's play, is so seldomly found in texts by historians of science. Historians use various strategies and methods to organise, analyse and present their scientific subject matter. These strategies will be examined in light of their compatibility with such polyphony. The methods include scientific biography and psychobiography, institutional history, as well as problem-oriented, disciplinary and comparative approaches.

Link to Hentschel's talk (pdf).