<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>This paper examines the dissemination of Cartesianism in the 17th century by studying the networks of authors in the field of natural philosophy. Key figures who spread knowledge and innovated the field are identified and contextualized. Furthermore, the network analysis shows how different ways of thinking coexisted within the social networks of early modern natural philosophers. To achieve this methodologically, originally bipartite networks were projected into author-to-author networks that were divided into time slices. Measurements of centrality and assortativity were used to determine prominence and diversity, which were complemented and refined with close reading. The findings reveal not only cliques of geographically connected authors, but also an overall highly connected field. Additionally, assortativity indicates a moderate tendency toward homophily in the authors’ connections to others within the same philosophical tradition. The study furthermore identifies that central authors were predominantly eclectic or Cartesian, suggesting that Cartesianism was driven by such individuals in structurally well-connected positions.</p>
</abstract>

This paper examines the dissemination of Cartesianism in the 17th century by studying the networks of authors in the field of natural philosophy. Key figures who spread knowledge and innovated the field are identified and contextualized. Furthermore, the network analysis shows how different ways of thinking coexisted within the social networks of early modern natural philosophers. To achieve this methodologically, originally bipartite networks were projected into author-to-author networks that were divided into time slices. Measurements of centrality and assortativity were used to determine prominence and diversity, which were complemented and refined with close reading. The findings reveal not only cliques of geographically connected authors, but also an overall highly connected field. Additionally, assortativity indicates a moderate tendency toward homophily in the authors’ connections to others within the same philosophical tradition. The study furthermore identifies that central authors were predominantly eclectic or Cartesian, suggesting that Cartesianism was driven by such individuals in structurally well-connected positions.

Intelligencers, Cliques, and Stars in the Spread of 17th -Century Cartesianism

Connections

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

{"article-title":"Intelligencers, Cliques, and Stars in the Spread of 17th -Century Cartesianism"}

This paper examines the dissemination of Cartesianism in the 17th century by studying the networks of authors in the field of natural philosophy. Key figures...

Intelligencers, Cliques, and Stars in the Spread of 17th -Century Cartesianism

Article Category: Article

Published Online: May 18, 2024

Page range: 4 - 32

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21307/connections-2019.031

Keywords
Historical social networks, Early modern science, Complex networks, Digital humanities, Projected networks, Multiplex evolving networks

© 2024 Silvia Donker, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Intelligencers, Cliques, and Stars in the Spread of 17th -Century Cartesianism

Article Category: Article

Published Online: May 18, 2024

Page range: 4 - 32

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21307/connections-2019.031

KeywordsHistorical social networks, Early modern science, Complex networks, Digital humanities, Projected networks, Multiplex evolving networks

© 2024 Silvia Donker, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Keywords
Historical social networks, Early modern science, Complex networks, Digital humanities, Projected networks, Multiplex evolving networks