Heroic theory of invention and scientific development
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The heroic theory of invention and scientific development is the view that the principal authors of
invention An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an ...
s and scientific discoveries are unique
hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ''actor''), ''her ...
ic individuals—i.e., "great scientists" or "geniuses".


Competing hypothesis

A competing hypothesis (that of ''
multiple discovery Multiple may refer to: Economics * Multiple finance, a method used to analyze stock prices *Multiples of the price-to-earnings ratio *Chain stores, are also referred to as 'Multiples' *Box office multiple, the ratio of a film's total gross to th ...
'') is that most inventions and scientific discoveries are made independently and simultaneously by multiple inventors and scientists. The multiple-discovery hypothesis may be most patently exemplified in the evolution of
mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...
, since mathematical knowledge is highly unified and any advances need, as a general rule, to be built from previously established results through a process of deduction. Thus, the development of
infinitesimal calculus Calculus, originally called infinitesimal calculus or "the calculus of infinitesimals", is the mathematical study of continuous change, in the same way that geometry is the study of shape, and algebra is the study of generalizations of ari ...
into a systematic discipline did not occur until the development of
analytic geometry In classical mathematics, analytic geometry, also known as coordinate geometry or Cartesian geometry, is the study of geometry using a coordinate system. This contrasts with synthetic geometry. Analytic geometry is used in physics and enginee ...
, the former being credited to both Sir Isaac Newton and
Gottfried Leibniz Gottfried Wilhelm (von) Leibniz . ( – 14 November 1716) was a German polymath active as a mathematician, philosopher, scientist and diplomat. He is one of the most prominent figures in both the history of philosophy and the history of mathem ...
, and the latter to both
René Descartes René Descartes ( or ; ; Latinized: Renatus Cartesius; 31 March 1596 – 11 February 1650) was a French philosopher, scientist, and mathematician, widely considered a seminal figure in the emergence of modern philosophy and science. Ma ...
and
Pierre de Fermat Pierre de Fermat (; between 31 October and 6 December 1607 – 12 January 1665) was a French mathematician who is given credit for early developments that led to infinitesimal calculus, including his technique of adequality. In particular, he ...
.


See also

*
Genius Genius is a characteristic of original and exceptional insight in the performance of some art or endeavor that surpasses expectations, sets new standards for future works, establishes better methods of operation, or remains outside the capabili ...
* Great man theory * Hive mind *
List of multiple discoveries Historians and sociologists have remarked upon the occurrence, in science, of "multiple independent discovery". Robert K. Merton defined such "multiples" as instances in which similar discoveries are made by scientists working independently of ea ...
*
Multiple discovery Multiple may refer to: Economics * Multiple finance, a method used to analyze stock prices *Multiples of the price-to-earnings ratio *Chain stores, are also referred to as 'Multiples' *Box office multiple, the ratio of a film's total gross to th ...
*
People known as the father or mother of something Often, discoveries and innovations are the work of multiple people, resulting from continual improvements over time. However, certain individuals are remembered for making significant contributions to the birth or development of a field or tech ...
*
Scientific priority In science, priority is the credit given to the individual or group of individuals who first made the discovery or propose the theory. Fame and honours usually go to the first person or group to publish a new finding, even if several researchers arr ...
*
Scientific theory A scientific theory is an explanation of an aspect of the natural world and universe that has been repeatedly tested and corroborated in accordance with the scientific method, using accepted protocols of observation, measurement, and evaluati ...
*
Discovery and invention controversies Discovery may refer to: * Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown * Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown * Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence Discovery, The Discovery ...


References


Further reading

* Epstein, Ralph C. 1926. "Industrial Invention: Heroic, or Systematic?" ''
The Quarterly Journal of Economics ''The Quarterly Journal of Economics'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal published by the Oxford University Press for the Harvard University Department of Economics. Its current editors-in-chief are Robert J. Barro, Lawrence F. Katz, Nathan N ...
'' 40(2):232–72. . . * Johansson, Frans. 2004. ''The Medici Effect: What Elephants and Epidemics Can Teach Us About Innovation''. US:
Harvard Business School Press Harvard Business Publishing was founded in 1994 as a not-for-profit, wholly owned subsidiary of Harvard University (distinct from Harvard University Press), with a focus on improving business management practices. The company consists of thr ...
. . * Merton, Robert K. 1957. "Priorities in Scientific Discovery: A Chapter in the Sociology of Science." '' American Sociological Review'' 22(6):635–59. . . * —— 1961. "Singletons and Multiples in Scientific Discovery: A Chapter in the Sociology of Science." ''
Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society ''Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society'' is a quarterly journal published by the American Philosophical Society since 1838. The journal contains papers which have been read at meetings of the American Philosophical Society each April ...
'' 105(5):470–86. * Shireman, William K. 1999. "Business strategies for sustainable profits: systems thinking in practice." ''
Systems Research and Behavioral Science ''Systems Research and Behavioral Science'' is a scientific journal for theory and research in the fields of systems sciences. It is the official publication of the International Federation for Systems Research. ''Systems Research and Behavioral ...
'' 16(5):453–62. . * Turney, Peter. 15 January 2007.
The Heroic Theory of Scientific Development
" ''Apperceptual''.


External links

* http://www.philsci.com/book2-2.htm * http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/05/12/080512fa_fact_gladwell?currentPage=all Discovery and invention controversies History of scientific method Heuristics Theories of history Innovation {{science-philo-stub