--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What has typically happened over the past…" description: "\"“What has typically happened over the past two hundred years is the slow emergence of a concept as a gradual, evolutionary exercise in collective wisdo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6db/edward-shorter-90429_collective-wisdom_what-has-typically-happened-over-the-pas_3185595.jpg" --- # What has typically happened over the past two hundred… ![“What has typically happened over the past two hundred years is the slow emergence of a concept as a gradual, evolutionary exercise in collective wisdom: People see something in their patients that hadn’t occurred to them before; they write about it; others start seeing the same thing – for…” quote by Edward Shorter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6db/edward-shorter-90429_collective-wisdom_what-has-typically-happened-over-the-pas_3185595.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6db/edward-shorter-90429_collective-wisdom_what-has-typically-happened-over-the-pas_3185595.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6db/edward-shorter-90429_collective-wisdom_what-has-typically-happened-over-the-pas_3185595.jpg) > ““What has typically happened over the past two hundred years is the slow emergence of a concept as a gradual, evolutionary exercise in collective wisdom: People see something in their patients that hadn’t occurred to them before; they write about it; others start seeing the same thing – for example, that some patients seem to be driven by a kind of furious rage – and slowly the concept emerges. But what comes out of this collective filtering is often a powerful notion, because lots of thoughtful people have endorsed it. (..) in the absence of actual science, the disease designers of the 1970s who produced DSM- 3 in 1980 settled for “consensus”: If a group of influential persons sitting about a table could agree that a disease existed, then it existed.”” [Edward Shorter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-shorter/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Collective observation and consensus shape medical concepts over time. **In simple terms:** Ideas evolve through shared observation. Key Takeaway Value collaborative insight while seeking evidence. Themes science consensus collective wisdom medical history Mood analytical thoughtful Type Collective wisdom:1 Consensus:1 Doctor:0 Fitness:0 Influential person:0 Wisdom:1 Concept Emerges:1 Disease Existed:0 Slow Emergence:1 When to use this quote - clinical practice - research meetings - policy making Key Concepts epistemology social dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How does consensus influence your field? - What safeguards ensure scientific rigor? A Different Perspective Consensus may solidify unverified ideas. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Collective wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/collective-wisdom/) [Concept Emerges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concept-emerges-5855343/) [Consensus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consensus/) [Disease Existed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disease-existed-5855344/) [Doctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctor/) [Fitness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fitness/) [Influential person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influential-person/) [Slow Emergence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slow-emergence-5855345/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) ## Related quotes > [Human Race is all over universe! And I am the first person to inform you. 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Horton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-m-horton/) > [Growing up as a comedian the most influential person on me was Jon Stewart. He showed that comedy could have a real tangible effect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-conover/growing-up-as-a-comedian-the-most-influential-person-on-me-was-jon/) [Adam Conover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-conover/) > [I'm not the only one; most people's mothers are the most influential person in their life. But my mother survived the camps, and she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-von-furstenberg/i-m-not-the-only-one-most-people-s-mothers-are-the-most-influential/) [Diane von Furstenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-von-furstenberg/) > [William Regal has been the most influential person in my entire career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-bryan/william-regal-has-been-the-most-influential-person-in-my-entire-career/) [Daniel Bryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-bryan/) > [I already believe I am the best linebacker in the game. 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