806:
1199:
1187:
1176:
135:. He said, "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. Similar arguments were made in regards to accepted ideas relative to the state of science by Thomas Kuhn in
122:
It takes a thousand men to invent a telegraph, or a steam engine, or a phonograph, or a photograph, or a telephone or any other important thing—and the last man gets the credit and we forget the others. He added his little mite—that is all he did. These object lessons should teach us that ninety-nine
89:
Historical acclaim for discoveries is often assigned to persons of note 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
151:
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:
190:
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".
226:
906:
337:
106:. It can be dependent on the publicity of the new work and the fame of its publisher as to whether the scientist's name becomes historically associated.
123:
parts of all things that proceed from the intellect are plagiarisms, pure and simple; and the lesson ought to make us modest. But nothing can do that.
256:
881:
81:, from whom Stigler stole credit so that it would be an example of the law. The same observation had previously also been made by many others.
757:
931:
926:
896:
886:
876:
1224:
936:
921:
916:
901:
182:
in 1972. It says, "Mathematical formulas and theorems are usually not named after their original discoverers" and was named after
137:
969:
1146:
911:
835:
210:
845:
830:
780:
261:
714:
67:, which was observed by astronomers since at least 240 BC (although its official designation is due to the first ever
795:
561:
342:
296:
750:
1093:
516:
1131:
1037:
825:
251:
320:
1103:
1065:
820:
805:
1244:
1202:
1098:
1055:
743:
68:
1229:
946:
148:
1190:
785:
221:
327:
was called that "apparently because Pell neither first propounded the question nor first solved it!"
1239:
1002:
790:
164:(ii) in cases of independent multiple discoveries made by scientists of distinctly different rank.
1141:
1045:
1027:
860:
855:
638:"Whose Hypothesis? Ciphering, Sectorials, D Lesions, Freckles and the Operation of Stigler's Law"
56:
411:
288:
282:
39:", states that no scientific discovery is named after its original discoverer. Examples include
1108:
1050:
1017:
984:
850:
198:
60:
156:
This pattern of recognition, skewed in favor of the established scientist, appears principally
1179:
1085:
1070:
1022:
840:
25:
637:
550:
1156:
1151:
1075:
964:
954:
438:
193:"Everything of importance has been said before by somebody who did not discover it" is an
8:
1161:
1126:
1118:
1007:
997:
236:
52:
442:
44:
1136:
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974:
959:
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624:
604:
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571:
497:
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381:
324:
99:
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418:, vol. 1: Ideas in History, Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, pp. 719–720
358:
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64:
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649:
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94:, the idea becomes named after that person, even if that person is acknowledged by
78:
40:
32:
450:
719:
246:
241:
179:
169:
128:
377:
1218:
663:
313:
359:"Measurement, incentives, and constraints in Stigler's economics of science"
671:
458:
48:
702:
593:
407:
75:
654:
414:, in Kruger, Lorenz; Daston, Lorraine J.; Heidelberger, Michael (eds.),
628:
501:
183:
115:
28:
16:
Observation that no scientific discovery is named after its discoverer
735:
429:
Merton, Robert K. (5 January 1968). "The
Matthew Effect in Science".
132:
620:
493:
694:
103:
71:
of such astronomical phenomenon in the sky, not to its discovery).
1060:
227:
List of persons considered father or mother of a scientific field
91:
36:
284:
Science and social structure: a festschrift for Robert K. Merton
98:
not to be the one who discovered it. Often, several people will
303:, republished in Stigler's collection "Statistics on the Table"
231:
480:
Kennedy, H.C. (January 1972). "Who discovered Boyer's Law?".
194:
703:"Earliest known uses of some of the words of mathematics"
366:
The
European Journal of the History of Economic Thought
732:
Stigler's law is described near the end of the article
574:(1980). Gieryn, F. (ed.). "Stigler's law of eponymy".
168:
The effect applies specifically to women through the
74:
Stigler attributed the discovery of
Stigler's law to
549:
1216:
709:
576:Transactions of the New York Academy of Sciences
257:Theories and sociology of the history of science
751:
397:(Link is to Art Diamond's personal web site.)
287:. New York: NY Academy of Sciences. pp.
556:. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
131:, also examined the process of discovery in
607:(1983). "Who discovered Bayes's theorem?".
552:The Economist as Preacher, and Other Essays
1175:
758:
744:
715:"In the Air: Who says big ideas are rare?"
35:in his 1980 publication "Stigler's law of
653:
100:arrive at a new idea around the same time
636:Kern, Scott E (September–October 2002).
544:
357:Diamond, Arthur M. Jr. (December 2005).
127:Stephen Stigler's father, the economist
603:
570:
479:
356:
138:The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
114:There is a similar quote attributed to
1217:
765:
514:
428:
280:
739:
635:
406:
262:Standing on the shoulders of giants
204:
109:
13:
700:
692:
588:10.1111/j.2164-0947.1980.tb02775.x
538:
515:Menand, Louis (19 February 2007).
412:"What Are Scientific Revolutions?"
14:
1256:
1225:Sociology of scientific knowledge
796:History and philosophy of science
686:
648:(5). Landes Bioscience: 571–581.
482:The American Mathematical Monthly
343:American Foundation for the Blind
211:List of examples of Stigler's law
160:(i) in cases of collaboration and
1198:
1197:
1185:
1174:
804:
508:
473:
422:
400:
350:
330:
306:
274:
1:
695:"Eponymy and Laws of Eponymy"
267:
252:Obliteration by incorporation
84:
642:Cancer Biology & Therapy
416:The Probabilistic Revolution
7:
1147:Neurology and neurosurgery
451:10.1126/science.159.3810.56
281:Gieryn, T. F., ed. (1980).
215:
10:
1261:
208:
1170:
1117:
1084:
1036:
983:
945:
869:
813:
802:
773:
609:The American Statistician
378:10.1080/09672560500370292
318:Amusements in Mathematics
222:List of misnamed theorems
61:Babylonian mathematicians
338:"Letter to Helen Keller"
188:A History of Mathematics
22:Stigler's law of eponymy
861:20th century in science
856:19th century in science
69:mathematical prediction
63:before Pythagoras; and
43:, which was derived by
781:Theories and sociology
199:Alfred North Whitehead
166:
125:
841:Scientific Revolution
154:
120:
96:historians of science
26:University of Chicago
1094:Agricultural science
846:Age of Enlightenment
713:(19 December 2006).
102:, as in the case of
1132:Veterinary medicine
826:Classical Antiquity
655:10.4161/cbt.1.5.225
605:Stigler, Stephen M.
572:Stigler, Stephen M.
517:"Notable Quotables"
443:1968Sci...159...56M
237:Scientific priority
53:Pythagorean theorem
1245:1980 introductions
767:History of science
546:Stigler, George J.
316:noted in his 1917
1230:Scientific method
1212:
1211:
1104:Materials science
1066:Political science
831:Medieval European
47:two years before
1252:
1205:
1201:
1200:
1193:
1189:
1178:
1177:
1099:Computer science
947:Natural sciences
912:Medieval Islamic
808:
760:
753:
746:
737:
736:
731:
729:
727:
711:Malcolm Gladwell
706:
698:
682:
680:
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632:
598:Robert K. Merton
591:
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555:
532:
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363:
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348:
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328:
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304:
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278:
205:List of examples
110:Similar concepts
79:Robert K. Merton
45:Georges Lemaître
1260:
1259:
1255:
1254:
1253:
1251:
1250:
1249:
1240:Eponymous rules
1215:
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1196:
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1113:
1080:
1038:Social sciences
1032:
979:
941:
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809:
800:
769:
764:
725:
723:
689:
676:
674:
621:10.2307/2682766
564:
541:
539:Further reading
536:
535:
525:
523:
513:
509:
494:10.2307/2978134
478:
474:
437:(3810): 56–63.
427:
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361:
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351:
336:
335:
331:
325:Pell's equation
311:
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144:
112:
87:
33:Stephen Stigler
17:
12:
11:
5:
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1127:Human medicine
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793:
788:
786:Historiography
783:
777:
775:
771:
770:
763:
762:
755:
748:
740:
734:
733:
720:The New Yorker
707:
701:Miller, Jeff.
693:Miller, Jeff.
688:
687:External links
685:
684:
683:
633:
601:
568:
562:
540:
537:
534:
533:
521:The New Yorker
507:
472:
421:
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372:(4): 639–640.
349:
329:
305:
297:
272:
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269:
266:
265:
264:
259:
254:
249:
247:Matilda effect
244:
242:Matthew effect
239:
234:
229:
224:
217:
214:
209:Main article:
206:
203:
197:attributed to
180:Hubert Kennedy
170:Matilda effect
149:Matthew effect
129:George Stigler
111:
108:
86:
83:
65:Halley's Comet
24:, proposed by
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
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1003:Combinatorics
1001:
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986:
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976:
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970:Earth science
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821:Ancient world
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797:
794:
792:
791:Pseudoscience
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563:0-226-77430-9
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319:
315:
314:Henry Dudeney
312:For example,
309:
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298:0-89766-043-9
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186:, whose book
185:
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178:was named by
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72:
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66:
62:
58:
54:
50:
46:
42:
38:
34:
30:
27:
23:
19:
1142:Neuroscience
1046:Anthropology
1028:Trigonometry
724:. Retrieved
718:
675:. Retrieved
645:
641:
615:(4): 290–6.
612:
608:
579:
575:
551:
524:. Retrieved
520:
510:
488:(1): 66–67.
485:
481:
475:
434:
430:
424:
415:
408:Kuhn, Thomas
402:
389:. Retrieved
369:
365:
352:
341:
332:
321:solution 129
317:
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187:
175:
174:
167:
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159:
155:
146:
143:
136:
126:
121:
113:
88:
73:
49:Edwin Hubble
41:Hubble's law
21:
20:
18:
1109:Engineering
1051:Archaeology
1018:Probability
985:Mathematics
851:Romanticism
836:Renaissance
594:Festschrift
176:Boyer's law
76:sociologist
1219:Categories
1086:Technology
1071:Psychology
1023:Statistics
870:By culture
774:Background
582:: 147–58.
391:12 January
268:References
184:Carl Boyer
116:Mark Twain
85:Derivation
31:professor
29:statistics
1180:Timelines
1157:Pathology
1152:Nutrition
1076:Sociology
1056:Economics
965:Chemistry
955:Astronomy
892:Byzantine
887:Brazilian
882:Argentine
664:1555-8576
548:(1982a).
386:154618308
133:economics
57:was known
1203:Category
1162:Pharmacy
1119:Medicine
1008:Geometry
998:Calculus
917:Japanese
677:28 March
672:12496492
526:27 March
459:17737466
410:(1987),
216:See also
104:calculus
55:, which
1235:Eponyms
1137:Anatomy
1061:History
993:Algebra
975:Physics
960:Biology
937:Spanish
932:Russian
927:Mexican
902:Chinese
877:African
629:2682766
502:2978134
467:3526819
439:Bibcode
431:Science
346:. 1903.
92:eponymy
37:eponymy
1191:Portal
922:Korean
907:Indian
897:French
814:By era
670:
662:
627:
560:
500:
465:
457:
384:
295:
289:147–57
232:Eponym
51:; the
1013:Logic
726:6 May
625:JSTOR
498:JSTOR
463:S2CID
382:S2CID
362:(PDF)
323:that
195:adage
728:2008
679:2009
668:PMID
660:ISSN
596:for
558:ISBN
528:2009
455:PMID
393:2015
293:ISBN
147:The
699:on
650:doi
617:doi
584:doi
490:doi
447:doi
435:159
374:doi
59:to
1221::
717:.
666:.
658:.
644:.
640:.
623:.
613:37
611:.
580:39
578:.
519:.
496:.
486:79
484:.
461:.
453:.
445:.
433:.
380:.
370:12
368:.
364:.
340:.
291:.
201:.
172:.
141:.
759:e
752:t
745:v
730:.
705:.
697:.
681:.
652::
646:1
631:.
619::
600:)
592:(
590:.
586::
566:.
530:.
504:.
492::
469:.
449::
441::
395:.
376::
301:.
118::
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