Stigler's law of eponymy

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Stigler's law of eponymy is a process proposed by University of Chicago statistics professor Stephen Stigler [2] in his 1980 publication "Stigler’s law of eponymy" [1].

In its simplest and strongest form it says: "No scientific discovery is named after its original discoverer." In philology it is known as the "Rule of the Lesser Attribution." Historical acclaim and reputation tend to be allocated to people unevenly. Scientific observations and results are often associated with people who have high visibility and social status, and are named long after their discovery. Eponymy is a striking example of this phenomenon. Particularly important scientific observations are often associated with a person, as in the case of Gaussian distribution, Halley's comet, and Planck's constant. Historians of science, however, have noted that often the person who is associated with the particular observation, theory, or result was not its original inventor. Based on his studies on the history of statistics, Stephen Stigler therefore proposed his own "Stigler's Law of Eponymy."

Stigler attributes the discovery of Stigler's Law to Robert K. Merton (which makes the law self-referencing). See Matthew effect and obliteration by incorporation.

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[edit] In culture

Malcolm Gladwell mentioned Stigler's Law in his article Who says big ideas are rare? in The New Yorker.[2]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ (Gieryn T F, ed. ) Science and social structure: a festschrift for Robert K. Merton. New York: NY Academy of Sciences, 1980. p. 147-57", made popular by his 1999 publication "Statistics on the Table" [1]
  2. ^ Malcolm Gladwell. "In the Air: Who says big ideas are rare?", The New Yorker, December 19, 2006. Retrieved on 2008-05-06. 

[edit] External links

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