Hi there, Maybe of interest? Robert Merton’s classic essay, "Singletons and Multiples in Scientific Discovery: A Chapter in the Sociology of Science," notes that simultaneous invention — not lone genii working in isolation — are how invention and discovery usually happen. Dag Merton paper: Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society Vol. 105, No. 5, The Influence of Science upon Modern Culture, Conference Commemorating the 400th Anniversary of the Birth of Francis Bacon (Oct. 13, 1961)<https://www.jstor.org/stable/i240641>, pp. 470-486 (17 pages) Published By: American Philosophical Society —— Dag Spicer Senior Curator Computer History Museum 1401 N. Shoreline Blvd. Mountain View, CA 94043 dspicer@computerhistory.org<mailto:dspicer@computerhistory.org> On Oct 22, 2020, at 11:18 AM, Theodora Dryer <tjdryer@gmail.com<mailto:tjdryer@gmail.com>> wrote: Thank you, Barbara! I'm looking forward to your work on "Creation Myths" It's not new, but Leila McNeill's piece is another great short read on this topic: https://thebaffler.com/outbursts/surely-youre-a-creep-mr-feynman-mcneill<https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fthebaffler.com%2Foutbursts%2Fsurely-youre-a-creep-mr-feynman-mcneill&data=04%7C01%7Cdspicer%40computerhistory.org%7C12087b26a05c40ac0b9708d876b6db04%7Cb6a9c12a29ee4c5f8f93f0d7a8e2db2f%7C0%7C0%7C637389875040624781%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=KwwnNg0Ws6Pai%2FjRUizKJf0s7q6TQDODfAODEQDPbKM%3D&reserved=0>. On Thu, Oct 22, 2020 at 11:42 AM Barbara B Walker <bbwalker@unr.edu<mailto:bbwalker@unr.edu>> wrote: Hi, everybody, Hope everyone is safe and well. Here is an article on the importance of looking beyond the mythologies and cults of genius in the history of science and tech. https://undark.org/2020/10/22/the-fiction-of-individual-genius/<https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fundark.org%2F2020%2F10%2F22%2Fthe-fiction-of-individual-genius%2F&data=04%7C01%7Cdspicer%40computerhistory.org%7C12087b26a05c40ac0b9708d876b6db04%7Cb6a9c12a29ee4c5f8f93f0d7a8e2db2f%7C0%7C0%7C637389875040624781%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=575NfovQIRD%2BHmVmURXcygoUZ2D9kMTGrtJtbFtDNW4%3D&reserved=0> However, I would argue that in computer history as everywhere else in the history of science and tech, debunking is not enough – we must understand the reasons, cultures and process of cult-formation and myth-making that plays such an influential role in our understanding of the past. That’s something I’m exploring in an article on John von Neumann that I recently submitted for publication review (“Creation Myths”). Am also looking at the formation of political personality cults in a seminar I am teaching this semester. Barbara Walker Barbara Walker Associate Professor Department of History/308 University of Nevada, Reno Reno NV 89557 _______________________________________________ This email is relayed from members at sigcis.org<https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsigcis.org%2F&data=04%7C01%7Cdspicer%40computerhistory.org%7C12087b26a05c40ac0b9708d876b6db04%7Cb6a9c12a29ee4c5f8f93f0d7a8e2db2f%7C0%7C0%7C637389875040634771%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=RbbmlxTpDnuH6hvj4Z2oeYVJLl6xBtFrT6cMz6Zw2rI%3D&reserved=0>, the email discussion list of SHOT SIGCIS. Opinions expressed here are those of the member posting and are not reviewed, edited, or endorsed by SIGCIS. 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