Boris Hessen’s Participation in the Second International Congress on the History of Science and Technology (1931)

From 29 June-3 July 1931, the Second International Congress of the History of Science and Technology took place at the Science Museum in London. It was marked by the participation of a large and representative delegation of scientists and philosophers from the Soviet Union, led by the well-known revolutionary Nicolai Bukharin. However, the contribution that stood out the most in this event was that presented by Boris Hessen, due to his instigating analysis and the set of propositions made, suggesting a reassessment of Newton’s Principia in the light of its context and its economic (industrial) motivations and social. After highlighting the list of works presented by the Soviet delegation, we will focus on Boris Hessen’s contribution, also looking at Book II of the Principia to try to relate some of the problems studied by Newton with their technological applications.