One day in September of 1976 I presented myself in the office of Hans Albert, chair professor of Soziologie und Wissenschaftslehre (Sociology and Theory of Science) at the School of Social Sciences of the University of Mannheim, in order to greet him and introduce myself as a new doctoral student. Previously I had written him in order to prepare for a one-year research stay at the university, and he had replied to me rapidly, efficiently helping me with all the bureaucratic procedures, first to apply for a scholarship from the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst, which I received, and later to matriculate in the university.