Thursday 15 August 2013

Here the researchers be

Number_of_Researchers_per_million_inhabitants_by_Country

 

This map from ChartsBin.com is pretty scary. Scandinavia is the most research-prone zone of the world. I had an inkling that research was a Norwegian disorder, but there is it, glowing in its purple dominance. Iceland is part of the Nordic affliction, together with the Anglo Saxons at home and in their largest colony, and also in their southern colonies of Australia and New Zealand. Japan is another island race determined to get to the truth, and Europe and Russia follow suit. The rest of the world is spared this affliction, though China is beginning to catch the bug.

Naturally, it might seem that research is simply a luxury of wealthy countries, and has nothing to do with the way people think. In the English case it is possible to argue that societies for intellectual curiosity preceded the Industrial Revolution and were major contributors to it. Problem solving comes before solution harvesting. In that light, China is probably regaining its researchers, not creating them for the first time.

Be that as it may,  when you hear the phrase “Research has shown….” this map helps you understand the parts of the world where the work was most likely to have been done, and where the declared finding resides in all its bounded limitations. Unless, of course, psychology can find the eternal truths which apply anywhere, even in India.

5 comments:

  1. Naturally, it might seem that research is simply a luxury of wealthy countries, and has nothing to do with the way people think.

    The abysmal researchers per million rate of the oil-rich Middle-Eastern nations would seem to contradict that.

    B.B.

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  2. Yes, and although they have spent money on education, the results have been very disappointing so far.

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  3. endre bakken stovner17 August 2013 at 09:16

    i suspect much of norwegian research is in the fields that are just about words, words, words and displaying the correct ideological colors. there was an excellent documentary series about this phenomenon: http://lesswrong.com/lw/gvc/video_brainwashed_a_norwegian_documentary_series/

    a stem chart would show which countries were deserving of accolades. it would be interesting to see if my prejudices align with reality (i suspect japan or hong-kong would win).

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    Replies
    1. and i know hk isn't technically a country...

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  4. endrebak, I have just posted another paper on national difference, though I don't think it answers your particular question directly.

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