From political arithmetic to social mathematics | Tangente

From political arithmetic to social mathematics

Condorcet is not the first to seek to apply mathematics to public life. Yet he sets himself radically apart from his predecessors—and lays claim to that distinction—by coining the phrase "social mathematics."

Written by

ANTOINE HOULOU-GARCIA

PublishedDecember 17, 2024UpdatedSeptember 19, 20261 min read

From political arithmetic to social mathematics

The 17^th century saw the idea that mathematics could explain the world take hold, with Galileo and Descartes as its two most famous advocates. Against this backdrop, John Graunt published mortality statistics in England in 1662, soon inspiring William Petty to establish a genuine "Political Arithmetic," as he called it, "because matters of government, which concern nothing less than the glory of the Prince and the happiness and greatness of the people, are brought to a kind of proof by the ordinary rules of arithmetic." His aim was to count everything: "the extent and value of land, the population, houses, industry, […] public revenue, interest, taxes…" So much so that in 1665 he succeeded in estimating the national income of England and Wales, marking the birth of what would become gross domestic product (GDP).

Sir William Petty, by J. Smith, 1696.

The need for a paradigm shift ------------------------------------

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