Parker Hewitt’s Reviews > Human Accomplishment: The Pursuit of Excellence in the Arts and Sciences, 800 B.C. to 1950 > Status Update
Parker Hewitt
is on page 154 of 688
Lotka curve stuff is interesting, and the use of solo athletes is convincing enough. The approach toward calculating the index scores strikes me as deeply imperfect, but I can't really imagine a better way to "measure" excellence amongst artists. The cutoff at 1950 seems sensible, but also deeply affects some of the listings in my mind. Aristotle seems much too high in overall science, RA Fisher is absent, etc.
— Jan 16, 2025 01:04PM
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Parker’s Previous Updates
Parker Hewitt
is on page 59 of 688
The basic premise of the book is interesting. The early chapters framing the total arc since -8000 is compelling, especially in illustrating the sheer duration of Ancient Egyptian primacy. Murray does a good job of emphasizing the humanity hidden underneath the dates and times. He's too credulous about things like the age of the sphinx, acupuncture, or historicity of the monomyth, but doesn't spend real time on them.
— Jan 11, 2025 09:25AM
