Computational tools in the history of physics: Distant reading Franklin's reception in 18th-century France

This article examines the use of computational tools in the history of science. For this reason, a historical case study is chosen: the interaction between Benjamin Franklin and Jean-Antoine Nollet over their competing theories of electricity in 18th-century France, focusing on the reception of Franklin's one-fluid theory in a Nollet-dominated Parisian Academy of Sciences. We built a database to study the reception and eventual acceptance of Franklin's theory in France. The historian of science John L. Heilbron portrays the Academy as divided and paralyzed, while Roderick W. Home argues that Nollet's dominance led the Academy to conduct the debate in Nollet's shadow. Using a database of publications on electricity related to the Parisian Academy between 1745 and 1785, we examined Franklin's theory in France quantitatively, revealing a pattern of influence and intellectual dominance that changed abruptly after Nollet's death. We also produced data comparing Nollet and another important figure in 18th-century French electricity, Jean-Baptiste Le Roy, and reconstructed this debate using statistics. Our findings demonstrate that databases and scientometric methods can be fruitfully applied in the history and philosophy of science. In particular, we can confirm part of the dynamics of this historical event, especially related to Nollet's influence within the Parisian Academy, an extra-scientific factor. For further exploration of this case study and to test these tools more thoroughly, a larger database of electricity-related publications in France is envisioned as the next step.