A recent Tom Gauld cartoon from the New Scientist:
In the center is a pocket version of the steps in the classic scientific method, but appended to this are all the interventions of daily life (tea breaks, love-making, tidying up, naps) and a collection of emotional responses to the task of doing science (sulking, gloating, questioning your life choices, fantasizing about recognition).
So there are decidedly human sides to the process of doing science, and it’s possible for a scientist’s judgment to be clouded by their enthusiasm for and commitment to one hypothesis, but the method itself, and the communal character of science, work against these impulses. (Of course, if you’re not committed to the central scheme of the method or to communal review, all bets are off.)
October 19, 2020 at 9:22 pm |
The post-gloating steps (Do a little dance, Make a little love, Get down tonight) had the form of song lyrics. Apparently it’s the chorus of song I don’t recognize, with two brief verses, and embellished with some wo-wo-wo, baby, and na-na-na: