experimentages

Experimentages is a proposed neologism for describing a broad, epoch-spanning tendency toward experimentation across multiple domains, including science, technology, art, and governance. In this usage, an experimentage marks a period in which iterative testing, provisional results, and rapid prototyping drive social and institutional change as much as theory.

Etymology and usage: the term combines experiment with age, analogizing to other historical designations such as Renaissance or Enlightenment. The plural form experimentages refers to multiple such periods. It is not widely adopted in mainstream history or sociology, but appears in speculative writing, critical theory, and discussions of science communication as a conceptual framework rather than a fixed historical category.

Characteristics: core features include iterative testing, openness to failure, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and mechanisms for scaling successful experiments. Data-driven evaluation, pilot programs, and participatory methods are common, as are open-source practices and rapid prototyping in technology and policy development.

Contexts and examples: contemporary discussions point to a late 20th and early 21st century convergence of maker culture, open science, and agile governance as a modern experimentage. Earlier examples are used illustratively to contrast with more conventional periods; the term is more useful as a heuristic than a precise historical label.

Criticism: critics caution that the term risks vagueness and teleology, implying continuous progress without addressing unequal access to experimentation. Its usefulness depends on clear criteria for what counts as an experiment and what distinguishes an era from routine practice.

See also: experimental philosophy, open science, design thinking, maker culture.