Cliodynamics

Cliodynamics (/ˌkliːoʊdaɪˈnæmɪks/) is a transdisciplinary area of research that integrates cultural evolution, economic history/cliometrics, macrosociology, the mathematical modeling of historical processes during the longue durée, and the construction and analysis of historical databases.

Cliodynamics seeks to treat history as science. Its proponents develop theories intended to explain such dynamical processes as the rise and fall of empires, population booms and busts, and the spread and disappearance of religions. These theories are translated into mathematical models, whose predictions are then tested against data; building and analyzing massive databases of historical and archaeological information is therefore one of the central goals of cliodynamics. Critics, however, reject the premise that complex historical societies can be reduced to quantifiable points in phase space, or that historical mechanisms can be organized into a stable, time-invariant explanatory system.