Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Social Network Analysis -- Correspondence In the 18th Century

Here is a significant new(ish) tool for understanding the humanities. We may very well gain new insights into the development of thought, the exercise of influence, the evolution of the written word (perhaps even the spoken word), the contexts of debate and creation, and numerous other fascinating topics. It is, however, a tool of understanding. We will be wise to remember that data derived from these techniques will require analysis as careful as (if not more careful than) the scholarship which has preceded it. The facts, in these matters, do not speak for themselves. They may, however, be more noticeable...

 

Stanford technology helps scholars get 'big picture' of the Enlightenment

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