Bertrand Gille (historian)

Biography

After studies with the School of the Charters, he becomes archivist paleographer in 1943 with a thesis relating to the industry of iron to France of Colbert to the Révolution. He is then preserving with the Public records - where he creates the service of the files of companies -, then professor of university with (Clermont-Ferrand and Paris I) and research director in IVe section of the practical École of the high studies.

Its many work relates to the fields of the Sidérurgie and the Banque, as well as the technical Histoire of sciences and the S.

Gille was corresponding Society for the History off Technology which decreed to him in 1970 its higher distinction, the medal Leonardo da Vinci . Its thought influenced many authors of which Bernard Stiegler with his book technique and time: The fault of Epiméthée.

Summary bibliography

engineers of the Rebirth , Thesis History, Paris, 1960.

At the time where is declined the feudal mode and where the modern Capitalisme is announced, in Europe a whole new technical system is set up without which traditional science could not have taken its rise. Bertrand Gille draws up here an enthralling inventory of all that the engineers of the Renaissance, in particular Léonard de Vinci, brought in fields as different as warlike technology, the Architecture, the Métallurgie, the textile machinery, the Horlogerie, the Hydraulique, etc Travail original and enthralling, but difficult because it was necessary begin with a systematic examination from large the European Bibliothèque S, whose notes were deprived of the desirable technical precision. Comparisons between the manuscripts were also made. A catalog of manuscripts relating to the German school, the Italian school, dedicated works with Léonard de Vinci, as well as the collection of Dessin S of machines are given in bibliography. The first stage of research is primarily devoted to the predecessors of Léonard de Vinci, the Greek origins then the German school, the Italian school and finally Francesco di Giorgio Martini. The second aspect of this work is devoted only to Léonard de Vinci, with his career of engineer and technician and with his method.

History of the techniques , Gallimard, coll the Pleiad, 1978.

On the basis of the report which an isolated technique does not exist and which it must call upon “tributary techniques”, Bertrand Gille proposed to see the Histoire through the succession of the “ technical systems ” which he defines as the whole of coherences which are woven at one time given between different the Technologie S and which constitute a more or less durable stage of the technological developments. The adoption of a technical system involves necessarily the adoption of a social system corresponding so that coherences are maintained. For the author the technical system is always advances some on the other human systems (legal, political, economic…) and of experiment one notes that the contractor tends to resist the changes of systems. Thus each time would be characterized by a synergy between some fundamental techniques, thus creating a specific economy as for the current system based on the electronic couple /Informatique. The structural limits are felt at the end of the period of expansion of the system: this moment is characterized either by the difficulty in increasing the quantities, or by the difficulty in lowering the production costs, or still by impossibility of diversifying the productions. In his historical analysis the author shows the existence of blocked technical systems.

Greek Mechanics , Threshold, coll opened Science, 1980

Ancient Greece was not only one high place of the abstracted thought, origin of our theoretical Science. She saw to also open out a true school of mechanics which, of Thalès and Archimedes with Philon de Byzance and Héron of Alexandria, to be prolonged until Vitruve, gave rise to the Technologie. All the men of this rich person time provide us the image of scientists attracted as much by pure science that by the material problems, and it is to the philosophers that one owes an arbitrary separation between science and technology.

It is at the time of Archytas that are developed the five elementary kinematic chains, considerable event for the technique. They will allow the transmission like the transformation of the movement to satisfy a made new request for material needs (lifting machines, of exhaustion…) but also of pleasure of the eyes with in particular the automats of entertainment. Thanks to the tree with cam S, the Greeks of Alexandria will invent the Programmation i.e. the realization of operations envisaged in advance. Thanks to the water run-off or fall of a weight, it will suggest the automatic regulation or Feedback. They will add to the corpus of the considerations relating to the tire of the air and water and the remarkable practical application of the Notion of module.

The Greeks will express the dream to give to the technique a mathematical formulation, to ensure their results by the conclusive way , to provide to their solutions an applicable intangible truth in all circumstances.

Small questions and major problems: the Wheelbarrow , Research in history of sciences, 1980.

In this late article and whose subject can appear minor, the author mobilizes his historical knowledge to propose a critical exercise of reflection.

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