Quantifying the scientific revolution
The Scientific Revolution represents a turning point in the history of humanity. Yet it remains ill-understood, partly because of a lack of quantification. Here, we leverage large datasets of individual biographies (N = 22,943) and present the first estimates of scientific production during the late...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Cambridge University Press
2023-01-01
|
| Series: | Evolutionary Human Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2513843X23000063/type/journal_article |
| _version_ | 1797662094042071040 |
|---|---|
| author | Benoît de Courson Valentin Thouzeau Nicolas Baumard |
| author_facet | Benoît de Courson Valentin Thouzeau Nicolas Baumard |
| author_sort | Benoît de Courson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Scientific Revolution represents a turning point in the history of humanity. Yet it remains ill-understood, partly because of a lack of quantification. Here, we leverage large datasets of individual biographies (N = 22,943) and present the first estimates of scientific production during the late medieval and early modern period (1300–1850). Our data reveal striking differences across countries, with England and the United Provinces being much more creative than other countries, suggesting that economic development has been key in generating the Scientific Revolution. In line with recent results in behavioural sciences, we show that scientific creativity and economic development are associated with other kinds of creative activities in philosophy, literature, music and the arts, as well as with inclusive institutions and ascetic religiosity, suggesting a common underlying mindset associated with long-term orientation and exploration. Finally, we investigate the interplay between economic development and cultural transmission (the so-called ‘Republic of Letters’) using partially observed Markov models imported from population biology. Surprisingly, the role of horizontal transmission (from one country to another) seems to have been marginal. Beyond the case of science, our results suggest that economic development is an important factor in the evolution of aspects of human culture. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T18:55:06Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f506133270364d309d32a33a310f0571 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2513-843X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T18:55:06Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Evolutionary Human Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-f506133270364d309d32a33a310f05712023-10-11T06:14:32ZengCambridge University PressEvolutionary Human Sciences2513-843X2023-01-01510.1017/ehs.2023.6Quantifying the scientific revolutionBenoît de Courson0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8215-9928Valentin Thouzeau1Nicolas Baumard2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1439-9150Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law, Günterstalstraße 73, 79100 Freiburg, Germany Ecole Normale Superieure, Departement d'Etudes Cognitives, Departement d'Etudes Cognitives, Paris, FranceEcole Normale Superieure, Departement d'Etudes Cognitives, Departement d'Etudes Cognitives, Paris, FranceEcole Normale Superieure, Departement d'Etudes Cognitives, Departement d'Etudes Cognitives, Paris, FranceThe Scientific Revolution represents a turning point in the history of humanity. Yet it remains ill-understood, partly because of a lack of quantification. Here, we leverage large datasets of individual biographies (N = 22,943) and present the first estimates of scientific production during the late medieval and early modern period (1300–1850). Our data reveal striking differences across countries, with England and the United Provinces being much more creative than other countries, suggesting that economic development has been key in generating the Scientific Revolution. In line with recent results in behavioural sciences, we show that scientific creativity and economic development are associated with other kinds of creative activities in philosophy, literature, music and the arts, as well as with inclusive institutions and ascetic religiosity, suggesting a common underlying mindset associated with long-term orientation and exploration. Finally, we investigate the interplay between economic development and cultural transmission (the so-called ‘Republic of Letters’) using partially observed Markov models imported from population biology. Surprisingly, the role of horizontal transmission (from one country to another) seems to have been marginal. Beyond the case of science, our results suggest that economic development is an important factor in the evolution of aspects of human culture.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2513843X23000063/type/journal_articleCultural evolutionhistory of sciencedigital humanitieseconomic development |
| spellingShingle | Benoît de Courson Valentin Thouzeau Nicolas Baumard Quantifying the scientific revolution Evolutionary Human Sciences Cultural evolution history of science digital humanities economic development |
| title | Quantifying the scientific revolution |
| title_full | Quantifying the scientific revolution |
| title_fullStr | Quantifying the scientific revolution |
| title_full_unstemmed | Quantifying the scientific revolution |
| title_short | Quantifying the scientific revolution |
| title_sort | quantifying the scientific revolution |
| topic | Cultural evolution history of science digital humanities economic development |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2513843X23000063/type/journal_article |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT benoitdecourson quantifyingthescientificrevolution AT valentinthouzeau quantifyingthescientificrevolution AT nicolasbaumard quantifyingthescientificrevolution |