Debunking the myth of individual genius
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/ 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
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. On Thu, Oct 22, 2020 at 11:42 AM Barbara B Walker <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/
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, 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. The list archives are at http://lists.sigcis.org/pipermail/members-sigcis.org/ and you can change your subscription options at http://lists.sigcis.org/listinfo.cgi/members-sigcis.org
-- Theodora Dryer, Ph.D. Lead Research Scholar, Climate + Water AI Now Institute | New York University https://www.theodoradryer.com/
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. The list archives are at http://lists.sigcis.org/pipermail/members-sigcis.org/<https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Flists.sigcis.org%2Fpipermail%2Fmembers-sigcis.org%2F&data=04%7C01%7Cdspicer%40computerhistory.org%7C12087b26a05c40ac0b9708d876b6db04%7Cb6a9c12a29ee4c5f8f93f0d7a8e2db2f%7C0%7C0%7C637389875040644768%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=AobAFEL90VW3JcGueEivVn9UpiDSBwUkFhpZs5HsPfc%3D&reserved=0> and you can change your subscription options at http://lists.sigcis.org/listinfo.cgi/members-sigcis.org<https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Flists.sigcis.org%2Flistinfo.cgi%2Fmembers-sigcis.org&data=04%7C01%7Cdspicer%40computerhistory.org%7C12087b26a05c40ac0b9708d876b6db04%7Cb6a9c12a29ee4c5f8f93f0d7a8e2db2f%7C0%7C0%7C637389875040644768%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=R3qfQkXwdHMzvvrO7hmQ44Td0olm9FWHQv1ex7uKLx8%3D&reserved=0> -- Theodora Dryer, Ph.D. Lead Research Scholar, Climate + Water AI Now Institute | New York University https://www.theodoradryer.com/<https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theodoradryer.com%2F&data=04%7C01%7Cdspicer%40computerhistory.org%7C12087b26a05c40ac0b9708d876b6db04%7Cb6a9c12a29ee4c5f8f93f0d7a8e2db2f%7C0%7C0%7C637389875040654761%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=bEcb%2BGYY8dwNCV%2BF4Uu%2FMLIgHrRvQYlUE3H4AQZtzsE%3D&reserved=0> _______________________________________________ This email is relayed from members at sigcis.org<http://sigcis.org>, the email discussion list of SHOT SIGCIS. 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I am teaching at CTU in Prague, and we are teaching some courses from history in bachelor program but not yet Computing history. Do you have some experiece with such a course? Please let me know. Do you think we have to teach such a course? Lot of ideas for todays computers came from history and they are still valid. Thank you for cooperation Boba Mannova ******************************************** Dr. Bozena (Boba) Mannova CTU in Prague, Department of Computer Science Karlovo namesti 13, Praha 2, CZ 121 35 phone: +420 224 357 312 e-mail: mannova@fel.cvut.cz http://cs.felk.cvut.cz ******************************************** -- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus
Hi, Yes, there is a strong temptation to look for single inventors because it makes for simple and heroic stories. Reality is considerably more complicated. To a large extent, that's why Bob Doran and I entitled our last joint work on Turing as "Turing's Zeitgeist". Regards Brian Carpenter On 23-Oct-20 04:41, Barbara B Walker 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/
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, 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. The list archives are at http://lists.sigcis.org/pipermail/members-sigcis.org/ and you can change your subscription options at http://lists.sigcis.org/listinfo.cgi/members-sigcis.org
Hi Thank you very much for the link to an article by Joshua Roebke [MS, Theoretical High Energy Physics, McGill University, Montréal], Institute for Historical Studies, Univ of Texas, Austin https://www.joshuaroebke.com/ https://www.joshuaroebke.com/articles/ https://ugs.utexas.edu/tsi/faculty-profiles “Opinion: Scoundrels, Saints, and the Fiction of Individual Genius. In the shadows of every celebrated scientist, there are other contributors who may be more deserving of our adulation.” Undark, 20 Oct 2020 https://undark.org/2020/10/22/the-fiction-of-individual-genius/ I also recommend this Roebke article on race and gender in high energy physics: “The Standard Model,” Joyland, Issue 10, Oct 2020 https://joylandmagazine.com/uncategorized/standard-model/?fbclid=IwAR1VALqsw... Sharon Traweek, Ucla ________________________________ From: Members <members-bounces@lists.sigcis.org> on behalf of Barbara B Walker <bbwalker@unr.edu> Sent: Thursday, October 22, 2020 8:41 AM To: members@lists.sigcis.org <members@lists.sigcis.org> Subject: [SIGCIS-Members] Debunking the myth of individual genius 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://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fundark.org%2f2020%2f10%2f22%2fthe-fiction-of-individual-genius%2f&c=E,1,zSJ4vpB4KaeiSCfDXUtpGaDeuowkE6aW4gmiCvCUYOWdr0NSn0T9QMaeE5BWGQuxbb8a5nA1upjF8wWloVC9E9hulaD6G7pfuau27-4OCg,,&typo=1> 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
Hello! I am very interested in this thread. I am curious what scholars/theorists/readings people are using to help make sense of cult-formation, myth-making, etc. I know a few that I find helpful and have taught include: - Kenneth Burke's dramatism - MacIntyre, Alasdair. *After Virtue*. (In particular his insights on the role of characters.) - Bormann, Ernest G. "Fantasy and rhetorical vision: The rhetorical criticism of social reality." *Quarterly journal of speech* 58, no. 4 (1972): 396-407. - Fisher, Walter R. "Narration as a human communication paradigm: The case of public moral argument." Communications Monographs 51, no. 1 (1984): 1-22. - Ernst Cassirer, *Language and Myth*. Misti Yang Doctoral Candidate and Instructor *Pronouns: she, her, hers* www.mistiyang.com Department of Communication | The University of Maryland 0107 Skinner Building, 4300 Chapel Lane College Park, MD 20742 On Sat, Oct 24, 2020 at 3:15 AM Sharon Traweek <traweek@history.ucla.edu> wrote:
Hi Thank you very much for the link to an article by *Joshua Roebke [MS, Theoretical High Energy Physics, *McGill University, Montréal], Institute for Historical Studies, Univ of Texas, Austin
https://www.joshuaroebke.com/ https://www.joshuaroebke.com/articles/ https://ugs.utexas.edu/tsi/faculty-profiles
*“Opinion: **Scoundrels, Saints, and the Fiction of Individual Genius*. In the shadows of every celebrated scientist, there are other contributors who may be more deserving of our adulation.” *Undark,* 20 Oct 2020 *https://undark.org/2020/10/22/the-fiction-of-individual-genius/ <https://undark.org/2020/10/22/the-fiction-of-individual-genius/>*
I also recommend this Roebke article on race and gender in high energy physics*:* “The Standard Model,” *Joyland*, Issue 10, Oct 2020 https://joylandmagazine.com/uncategorized/standard-model/?fbclid=IwAR1VALqsw...
Sharon Traweek, Ucla ------------------------------ *From:* Members <members-bounces@lists.sigcis.org> on behalf of Barbara B Walker <bbwalker@unr.edu> *Sent:* Thursday, October 22, 2020 8:41 AM *To:* members@lists.sigcis.org <members@lists.sigcis.org> *Subject:* [SIGCIS-Members] Debunking the myth of individual genius
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://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fundark.org%2f2020%2f10%2f22%2fthe-fiction-of-individual-genius%2f&c=E,1,zSJ4vpB4KaeiSCfDXUtpGaDeuowkE6aW4gmiCvCUYOWdr0NSn0T9QMaeE5BWGQuxbb8a5nA1upjF8wWloVC9E9hulaD6G7pfuau27-4OCg,,&typo=1>
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, 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. The list archives are at http://lists.sigcis.org/pipermail/members-sigcis.org/ and you can change your subscription options at http://lists.sigcis.org/listinfo.cgi/members-sigcis.org
Hello, Ray McDermott's work on genius may also be of interest: McDermott, Ray. 2006. “Situating Genius.” Counterpoints 249: 285–302. Mcdermott, Ray. 2004. “Materials for a Confrontation with Genius as a Personal Identity.” Ethos 32 (2): 278–88. Best, Michael Scroggins On Thu, Oct 22, 2020 at 8:43 AM Barbara B Walker <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/
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, 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. The list archives are at http://lists.sigcis.org/pipermail/members-sigcis.org/ and you can change your subscription options at http://lists.sigcis.org/listinfo.cgi/members-sigcis.org
Thanks to everybody for all these many wonderful citations on this topic! They are very useful and interesting in all kinds of ways. Wishing all safety and good health, Barbara From: MICHAEL SCROGGINS <mscroggins@ucla.edu> Date: Saturday, October 24, 2020 at 5:34 PM To: Barbara B Walker <bbwalker@unr.edu> Cc: "members@lists.sigcis.org" <members@lists.sigcis.org> Subject: Re: [SIGCIS-Members] Debunking the myth of individual genius Hello, Ray McDermott's work on genius may also be of interest: McDermott, Ray. 2006. “Situating Genius.” Counterpoints 249: 285–302. Mcdermott, Ray. 2004. “Materials for a Confrontation with Genius as a Personal Identity.” Ethos 32 (2): 278–88. Best, Michael Scroggins On Thu, Oct 22, 2020 at 8:43 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://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fundark.org%2F2020%2F10%2F22%2Fthe-fiction-of-individual-genius%2F&data=04%7C01%7Cbbwalker%40unr.edu%7C69461e016ae54da0404908d8787dac57%7C523b4bfc0ebd4c03b2b96f6a17fd31d8%7C1%7C0%7C637391828461075563%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=EuEq6ITikimpWA4NIlL6PUmhykaGQzrldNwXH%2FXWycQ%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://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsigcis.org%2F&data=04%7C01%7Cbbwalker%40unr.edu%7C69461e016ae54da0404908d8787dac57%7C523b4bfc0ebd4c03b2b96f6a17fd31d8%7C1%7C0%7C637391828461085558%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=Npt6ZxHo0TO4lQmpNunLIklHFfrj6wVhJaQCNh4D7O8%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. The list archives are at http://lists.sigcis.org/pipermail/members-sigcis.org/<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Flists.sigcis.org%2Fpipermail%2Fmembers-sigcis.org%2F&data=04%7C01%7Cbbwalker%40unr.edu%7C69461e016ae54da0404908d8787dac57%7C523b4bfc0ebd4c03b2b96f6a17fd31d8%7C1%7C0%7C637391828461085558%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=nl3K%2Fd%2Be1gxiaf%2B8%2Fu4vFRpF8NfWZ9B2KVSU9RCVcq0%3D&reserved=0> and you can change your subscription options at http://lists.sigcis.org/listinfo.cgi/members-sigcis.org<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Flists.sigcis.org%2Flistinfo.cgi%2Fmembers-sigcis.org&data=04%7C01%7Cbbwalker%40unr.edu%7C69461e016ae54da0404908d8787dac57%7C523b4bfc0ebd4c03b2b96f6a17fd31d8%7C1%7C0%7C637391828461095552%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=0RSYZTiSuCLDkFAVKodba9B6wtqNxZpiAzaUEGOFCB0%3D&reserved=0>
participants (8)
-
Barbara B Walker -
Božena Mannová -
Brian E Carpenter -
Dag Spicer -
MICHAEL SCROGGINS -
Misti -
Sharon Traweek -
Theodora Dryer