Version 1
: Received: 24 April 2024 / Approved: 25 April 2024 / Online: 28 April 2024 (04:48:43 CEST)
How to cite:
Coccia, M. The Foundation of the General Theory of Scientific Variability for Technological Evolution. Preprints2024, 2024041650. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202404.1650.v1
Coccia, M. The Foundation of the General Theory of Scientific Variability for Technological Evolution. Preprints 2024, 2024041650. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202404.1650.v1
Coccia, M. The Foundation of the General Theory of Scientific Variability for Technological Evolution. Preprints2024, 2024041650. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202404.1650.v1
APA Style
Coccia, M. (2024). The Foundation of the General Theory of Scientific Variability for Technological Evolution. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202404.1650.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Coccia, M. 2024 "The Foundation of the General Theory of Scientific Variability for Technological Evolution" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202404.1650.v1
Abstract
Variability is the predisposition of the elements in systems to assume different values over time and space. In biology, the variability is basic to explain differences and development in organisms but in the fields of scientific and technological information, the effects of variability on evolutionary dynamics of disciplines and technologies are unknown. In a broad analogy with the principles of biology, the variability within research fields can be a central argument to explain trajectories in scientific development and technological evolution. The purpose of the present study is to see whether statistical evidence supports the general hypothesis that the rate of growth in technologies can be explained by the level of variability in scientific fields and with this principal goal to analyze the relation between scientific variability and rate of growth in technologies. Proposed hypothesis of scientific variability here endeavors to explain basic sources of scientific development and technological evolution to lay the foundations for a general theory. The test here is based on emerging research fields of quantum technologies: Quantum Imaging, Quantum Meteorology, Quantum Sensing and Quantum Optics. A preliminary statistical evidence seems in general to support the hypothesis stated that the rate of growth in technological fields can be explained by the level of scientific variability in research fields, measured with relative entropy index. Nonparametric correlation based on Spearman’s rho shows a positive coefficient of 0.80 of these variables; linear model of the rate of technological growth = f(scientific variability) reveals a coefficient of regression equal to 1.63 (R2=0.60). Findings here suggest a general law that scientific variability positively drives scientific development and technological evolution. In particular, a higher variability within research fields can support scientific development and a high rate of growth in technological evolution (measured with scientific and technological information). Proposed hypothesis of scientific variability is especially relevant in environments of rapid change to explain determinants and dynamics of technological change within a general theoretical framework that supports technological management and forecasting of promising innovations.
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
