Measuring Hierarchical Complexity in the Bible

Since the dawn of modern biblical studies, scholars have been closely reading the Bible for what it can reveal about its authors and their times. How did they think and believe, and how do Scripture's enduring themes shift from from author to author (and from source to source)? Are there trends we can track across the long arc of its composition? For instance, can we track, as scholars like Karen Armstrong suggest, an "Axial Age" revolution unfolding through its pages--a broad shift from largely dogmatic, concrete myths to a more abstract, universalizing, moral form of thought?

Many social theorists have argued for such cultural developmental trends (cf. Karl Jaspers, Jurgen Habermas, Ken Wilber, Hanzi Freinacht, etc.). Until now, however, no one has actually tried to measure it to see if there is indeed quantifiable data to support such a claim.

That is what my current research would like to attempt.

Scoring biblical texts for their hierarchical complexity using the Computerized Lectical Assessment System (CLAS), I hope to put these developmental ideas to the test. Can we actually see a trend towards more complex, abstract, and comprehensive thought in texts held sacred by Jews and Christians alike?

This research project is the first part of a broader research initiative by Sky Meadow Institute (whose stated aim is to "bring a complexity lens to the things that matter most"), which will hopefully expand to assess pre-Axial and post-Axial texts as well in order to test the broader theory of cultural complexification.

Your funding will help pay for the scoring of the texts, which requires considerable technical setup, administration, and "lexicating" time for each assessment. Please help contribute to this pioneering research, which may for the first time bring quantitative data to a long-standing theoretical debate of incredible cultural significance.