LANDOLT TABLES IN PRIMO LEVI’S “BEST IS WATER” FOR VALUE-BASED CHEMICAL EDUCATION
LANDOLT TABLES IN PRIMO LEVI’S “BEST IS WATER” FOR VALUE-BASED CHEMICAL EDUCATION

Author(s): Uladzimir Slabin
Subject(s): Social Sciences, Education
Published by: Scientia Socialis, UAB
Keywords: anthropomorphization; chemical education; eponym; humanization in education; Primo Levi;
Summary/Abstract: As science education faces the urgent task of rehumanization amid growing technocratic rationality, scientific eponyms, especially in literary contexts, offer a potential of rehumanization for value-based science education. To explore this potential, selected passages referencing the eponym “Landolt tables” from the short story “Best Is Water” by Italian chemist and writer Primo Levi were analyzed in both the original Italian and its English translation. The focus was on anthropomorphization of the eponym, using a range of interpretative theories: existentialism, phenomenology, postmodernism, psychoanalysis, semiotics, structuralism, symbolism, and theological philosophy. The findings suggest that theological philosophy reveals the anthropomorphization of the “Landolt tables” most strongly, while structuralism does so the least. The Italian original highlights psychological and existential moments, whereas the English translation places more emphasis on logical structure and narrative progression, thereby reducing the emotional charge. These results affirm that anthropomorphized scientific eponyms can help restore science education’s connection to human values, history, and morality. In doing so, they offer educators a powerful toolkit for rehumanizing chemistry instruction, nurturing not only informed minds but also empathetic and ethically attuned citizens.

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