10. Cross-Breeding Networks and Rapid-Discovery Science
- When not otherwise cited, biographical and network information throughout
Chapters 10–14 comes from the relevant articles in DSB and EP as well as other
basic sources (Copleston, 1950–1977; Merz, [1904–1912] 1965; Heer, [1953]
1968; Chambers Biographical Dictionary; 1984; Popkin, 1979; Johnston, 1972;
Schnädelbach, 1984; Toews, 1980, 1993; Köhnke, 1991; Willey, 1978; Lindenfeld,
1980; Ben-David and Collins, 1966; Dickey, 1993; Ayer, 1982; Coffa, 1991;
Waismann, 1979; Dummett, 1981; Wang, 1987; Kline, 1972; Boyer, 1985; Levy,
1981; Spiegelberg, 1982; Gadamer, 1985; Fabiani, 1988; Cohen-Solal, 1987;
Boschetti, 1985). - Michael Mahoney (private communication) points to a number of overlapping
Parisian circles, in addition to the Mersenne-Montmor groups, around Le Pailleur,
Thévenot, and Bourdelot, and materially sponsored by the royal minister Colbert;
collectively these became in 1666 the basis of the Académie des Sciences. Figure
10.1 omits most purely scientific academies and circles. - As in previous chapters, the ranking of philosophers as major, secondary, and
minor is based on their long-term influence; this is estimated by the relative space
which they receive in various histories (Hegel, [1820–1830] 1971; Windelband,
[1892] 1901; Lévi-Bruhl, 1899; Bentley, 1939; Heer, [1953] 1968; Copleston,
1950–1977; Marias, [1941] 1966; EP, 1967; Passmore, 1968; Kneale and Kneale,
1984). On the growth of the European philosophical canon as viewed by anglo-
phone scholarship, cf. Kuklick (1984). - Structurally this is the same condition I noted in Chapter 9 in comparing stagnant
with creative periods: an intersection of overlapping and rival circles. The material
improvement of transportation and communications in the 1600s broadened the
geographical zone in which such an intersection of circles could take place. - It is impossible to avoid some anachronism in terminology. “Science” took on its
restricted modern meaning in English after 1847. Latin scientia was equivalent to
Greek episteme, knowledge in any realm. Some term is needed for making historical
comparisons, precisely so that we can see what is distinctive about certain activities
in various periods. “Science” enables us to focus jointly on the several activities of
collecting information by observations of nature, especially in the well-defined
occupations of astronomy and medicine, and the equally distinctive activity of
mathematical calculation and measurement. - Price (1986). Sources for discussion of various methods by which speed of scientific
discovery may be measured (Cole, 1983; Griffith, 1988; Cozzens, 1989; Leydes-
dorff and Amsterdamska, 1990; Collins, 1994). The rapid-discovery mode set in
earlier in some scientific fields than others, and the rate appears to have accelerated
several times, most recently since the 1920s. On differences in consensus, see Cole,
Cole, and Dietrich (1978); Hargens and Hagstrom (1982). - Highly accurate calculations of pi made between 220 and 500 c.e. were variously
and often inaccurately recorded in the standard textbooks of the T’ang and Sung,
which sometimes gave the traditional value of pi as 3 (Institute, 1983: 86–87, 35,
992 •^ Notes to Pages 528–533