Karl Pearson and Statistics: The Social Origins of Scientific Innovation

Karl Pearson (1857-1936) is often considered to be the father of the modern discipline of statistics, which emerged from his work in mathematical biology or biometry. Pearson's statistics was, by turn, integrally linked with attempts to establish eugenics as the queen of the social sciences. Th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Social studies of science 1978-02, Vol.8 (1), p.3-34
Main Author: Norton, Bernard J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biology
Biometric/Biometrics
Biometrics
Correlations
Darwinism
Demography
Eugenics
Evolution
Genetics - history
History of medicine
History, Modern 1601
Innovation/Innovations/Innovative/ Innovativeness/ Innovator/ Innovators
Pearson
Pearson, Karl
Philosophy/Philosophies/ Philosophical
Scientific/Scientism/ Scienticity/ Scientization
Social Darwinism
Socialism
Statistics
Statistics as Topic - history
Statistics/Statistical/ Statistically
Thought
United Kingdom
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Summary:Karl Pearson (1857-1936) is often considered to be the father of the modern discipline of statistics, which emerged from his work in mathematical biology or biometry. Pearson's statistics was, by turn, integrally linked with attempts to establish eugenics as the queen of the social sciences. This paper argues that to understand (i) Pearson's taking to biometry, (ii) biometry's power to yield developments in statistics, and (iii) the association of eugenics with statistics, we must understand Pearson's philosophical and social views, developed before he took to biometry. The closing section of the paper analyzes the ways in which Pearson formed these views in response to the social and intellectual problems posed to him by the conditions of his late-Victorian life. The possibility of explaining the particular pattern of his response in terms of the natural interests of persons occupying his social position is mentioned, as are the difficulties of such an explanatory strategy.
ISSN:0306-3127
1460-3659
DOI:10.1177/030631277800800101