Stigler's law of eponymy
Encyclopedia
Stigler's law of eponymy is a process proposed by University of Chicago
statistics
professor Stephen Stigler
in his 1980 publication "Stigler’s law of eponymy". In its simplest and strongest form it says: "No scientific discovery is named after its original discoverer." Stigler named the sociologist Robert K. Merton
as the discoverer of "Stigler's law", consciously making "Stigler's law" exemplify Stigler's law.
not to be the one who discovered it. Often, several people will arrive at a new idea around the same time, as in the case of calculus
. It can be dependent on the publicity of the new work and the notoriety of its publisher as to whether the scientist's name becomes historically associated.
, also examined the process of discovery in economics
. He said that "If an earlier, valid statement of a theory falls on deaf ears, and a later restatement is accepted by the science, this is surely proof that the science accepts ideas only when they fit into the then-current state of the science". He gave several examples in which the original discoverer was not recognized as such.
The Matthew Effect
was coined by Robert K. Merton to describe how eminent scientists get more credit than a comparatively unknown researcher, even if their work is similar, so that credit will usually be given to researchers who are already famous. Merton notes that "this pattern of recognition, skewed in favor of the established scientist, appears principally (i) in cases of collaboration and (ii) in cases of independent multiple discoveries made by scientists of distinctly different rank."
Boyer's Law was named by H.C. Kennedy in 1972. It says Mathematical formulas and theorems are usually not named after their original discoverers and was named after C.B. Boyer, whose book History of Mathematics contains many examples of this law. Kennedy observed that "it is perhaps interesting to note that this is probably a rare instance of a law whose statement confirms its own validity."
"Everything of importance has been said before by somebody who did not discover it" is an adage
attributed to Alfred North Whitehead
.
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
statistics
Statistics
Statistics is the study of the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of data. It deals with all aspects of this, including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments....
professor Stephen Stigler
Stephen Stigler
Stephen Mack Stigler is Ernest DeWitt Burton Distinguished Service Professor at the Department of Statistics of the University of Chicago. His research has focused on statistical theory of robust estimators and the history of statistics...
in his 1980 publication "Stigler’s law of eponymy". In its simplest and strongest form it says: "No scientific discovery is named after its original discoverer." Stigler named the sociologist Robert K. Merton
Robert K. Merton
Robert King Merton was a distinguished American sociologist. He spent most of his career teaching at Columbia University, where he attained the rank of University Professor...
as the discoverer of "Stigler's law", consciously making "Stigler's law" exemplify Stigler's law.
Derivation
Historical acclaim for discoveries is often allotted to persons of notoriety who bring attention to an idea that is not yet widely known, whether or not that person was its original inventor – theories may be named long after their discovery. In the case of eponymy, the idea becomes named after that person, even if that person is acknowledged by historians of scienceHistory of science
The history of science is the study of the historical development of human understandings of the natural world and the domains of the social sciences....
not to be the one who discovered it. Often, several people will arrive at a new idea around the same time, as in the case of calculus
Calculus
Calculus is a branch of mathematics focused on limits, functions, derivatives, integrals, and infinite series. This subject constitutes a major part of modern mathematics education. It has two major branches, differential calculus and integral calculus, which are related by the fundamental theorem...
. It can be dependent on the publicity of the new work and the notoriety of its publisher as to whether the scientist's name becomes historically associated.
Similar concepts
Stephen Stigler's father, the economist George StiglerGeorge Stigler
George Joseph Stigler was a U.S. economist. He won the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 1982, and was a key leader of the Chicago School of Economics, along with his close friend Milton Friedman....
, also examined the process of discovery in economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
. He said that "If an earlier, valid statement of a theory falls on deaf ears, and a later restatement is accepted by the science, this is surely proof that the science accepts ideas only when they fit into the then-current state of the science". He gave several examples in which the original discoverer was not recognized as such.
The Matthew Effect
Matthew effect
The Matthew effect may refer to:* Matthew effect , the phenomenon in sociology where "the rich get richer and the poor get poorer"* Matthew effect , the phenomenon in education that has been observed in research on how new readers acquire the skills to read...
was coined by Robert K. Merton to describe how eminent scientists get more credit than a comparatively unknown researcher, even if their work is similar, so that credit will usually be given to researchers who are already famous. Merton notes that "this pattern of recognition, skewed in favor of the established scientist, appears principally (i) in cases of collaboration and (ii) in cases of independent multiple discoveries made by scientists of distinctly different rank."
Boyer's Law was named by H.C. Kennedy in 1972. It says Mathematical formulas and theorems are usually not named after their original discoverers and was named after C.B. Boyer, whose book History of Mathematics contains many examples of this law. Kennedy observed that "it is perhaps interesting to note that this is probably a rare instance of a law whose statement confirms its own validity."
"Everything of importance has been said before by somebody who did not discover it" is an adage
Adage
An adage is a short but memorable saying which holds some important fact of experience that is considered true by many people, or that has gained some credibility through its long use....
attributed to Alfred North Whitehead
Alfred North Whitehead
Alfred North Whitehead, OM FRS was an English mathematician who became a philosopher. He wrote on algebra, logic, foundations of mathematics, philosophy of science, physics, metaphysics, and education...
.
See also
- List of examples of Stigler's law
- EponymEponymAn eponym is the name of a person or thing, whether real or fictitious, after which a particular place, tribe, era, discovery, or other item is named or thought to be named...
- List of misnamed theorems
- List of persons considered father or mother of a scientific field
- Obliteration by incorporationObliteration by incorporationIn sociology of science, obliteration by incorporation occurs when at some stage in the development of a science, certain ideas become so accepted and common-use that their contributors are no longer cited...
- Scientific priorityScientific priorityIn science, priority is the claim and recognition of first discovery or theory. Fame and honors usually go to the first person or group to publish a new finding, even if several researchers arrived at the same conclusion independently and at the same time....
- Standing on the shoulders of giantsStanding on the shoulders of giantsDwarfs standing on the shoulders of giants is a Western metaphor meaning "One who develops future intellectual pursuits by understanding the research and works created by notable thinkers of the past," a contemporary interpretation. However, the metaphor was first recorded in the twelfth century...
- Theories and sociology of the history of scienceTheories and sociology of the history of scienceThe sociology and philosophy of science, as well as the entire field of science studies, have in the 20th century been occupied with the question of large-scale patterns and trends in the development of science, and asking questions about how science "works" both in a philosophical and practical...