This is an incredibly interesting use of statistical analysis. Generally, when people try and prove the historicity of myth, it’s down to archaeological and historical evidence. But this? Using statistical analysis to compare how close to reality the character interactions are? That’s pretty freaking cool.
via How Ancient Epics are Just Like Modern Social Networks.
I haven’t read the article yet – but I will. From the summation, I think it points to some known facts about Peter, Andrew, James, and John… and Jesus.
By the way – the paper is based on complexity, along the lines of Game Theory. I’ll focus on that a bit later.
Joel L. Watts holds a Masters of Arts from United Theological Seminary with a focus in literary and rhetorical criticism of the New Testament. His interests include exploring the role of mimesis in human civilization, specifically in the study of religion and media, as well as science fiction and the way in which it has allowed mythology to be explored in light of scientific discoveries of the past century. He is the author of Mimetic Criticism of the Gospel of Mark: Introduction and Commentary (Wipf and Stock, 2013) and a co-editor and contributor to From Fear to Faith: Stories of Hitting Spiritual Walls (Energion, 2013).
Website: → Unsettled Christianity
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Read the paper yet? Because Carrier did: http://freethoughtblogs.com/carrier/archives/2008. Yes that’s the URL, must be an error naming it.
I have. I have carrier’s article saved for a later date. odd that someone without actual background in the subject and basing his theory on something he doesn’t understand would dare to call out anyone with actual accreditation and understanding.
So if I call out William Lane Craig you’d say “that’s odd”? Isn’t your comment much odder: “From the summation, I think it points to some known facts about Peter, Andrew, James, and John… and Jesus.”
What are you talking about?