> Skip to content
FEATURED:
  • The Evolution of Race in Admissions
Sign In
  • News
  • Advice
  • The Review
  • Data
  • Current Issue
  • Virtual Events
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
Sign In
  • News
  • Advice
  • The Review
  • Data
  • Current Issue
  • Virtual Events
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
  • News
  • Advice
  • The Review
  • Data
  • Current Issue
  • Virtual Events
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
Sign In
ADVERTISEMENT
News
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Show more sharing options
Share
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Email
  • Copy Link URLCopied!
  • Print

What Is Your Sunstein Number?

July 16, 2007

For mathematicians, there is the Erdos number — a measure of how close they have come to collaborating with the famously prolific Hungarian-born scholar Paul Erdos (1913-1996). Someone who co-authored a paper directly with Erdos is said to have an Erdos number of 1; someone who has co-authored with one of those direct collaborators has an Erdos number of 2; and so on.

Now, two law professors at Vanderbilt University have proposed an equivalent concept for legal scholarship: the Sunstein number, after Cass R. Sunstein, the University of Chicago scholar who publishes at a furious rate, often in collaboration. (The authors have unearthed 57 scholars with a Sunstein number of 1, and 768 with a Sunstein number of 2.)

We’re sorry. Something went wrong.

We are unable to fully display the content of this page.

The most likely cause of this is a content blocker on your computer or network. Please make sure your computer, VPN, or network allows javascript and allows content to be delivered from c950.chronicle.com and chronicle.blueconic.net.

Once javascript and access to those URLs are allowed, please refresh this page. You may then be asked to log in, create an account if you don't already have one, or subscribe.

If you continue to experience issues, contact us at 202-466-1032 or help@chronicle.com

For mathematicians, there is the Erdos number — a measure of how close they have come to collaborating with the famously prolific Hungarian-born scholar Paul Erdos (1913-1996). Someone who co-authored a paper directly with Erdos is said to have an Erdos number of 1; someone who has co-authored with one of those direct collaborators has an Erdos number of 2; and so on.

Now, two law professors at Vanderbilt University have proposed an equivalent concept for legal scholarship: the Sunstein number, after Cass R. Sunstein, the University of Chicago scholar who publishes at a furious rate, often in collaboration. (The authors have unearthed 57 scholars with a Sunstein number of 1, and 768 with a Sunstein number of 2.)

Erdos’s caffeine consumption was legendary. Among his many other accomplishments, he is remembered for this immortal line: “A mathematician is a machine for turning coffee into theorems.”

ADVERTISEMENT

It’s less clear what substances, if any, might fuel Sunstein’s extraordinary productivity. He has written for the Chronicle Review on two occasions since 1989. But both essays were solo projects, so we’ve done nothing to boost anyone’s Sunstein number.

Hat tip: Empirical Legal Studies.

We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
  • Explore
    • Get Newsletters
    • Letters
    • Free Reports and Guides
    • Blogs
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle Store
    • Find a Job
    Explore
    • Get Newsletters
    • Letters
    • Free Reports and Guides
    • Blogs
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle Store
    • Find a Job
  • The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • DEI Commitment Statement
    • Write for Us
    • Talk to Us
    • Work at The Chronicle
    • User Agreement
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Site Map
    • Accessibility Statement
    The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • DEI Commitment Statement
    • Write for Us
    • Talk to Us
    • Work at The Chronicle
    • User Agreement
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Site Map
    • Accessibility Statement
  • Customer Assistance
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise With Us
    • Post a Job
    • Advertising Terms and Conditions
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
    Customer Assistance
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise With Us
    • Post a Job
    • Advertising Terms and Conditions
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
  • Subscribe
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Institutional Subscriptions
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Manage Your Account
    Subscribe
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Institutional Subscriptions
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Manage Your Account
1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037
© 2023 The Chronicle of Higher Education
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • facebook
  • linkedin