Tuesday, February 13, 2018

Step One

Psychology professor Tania Lambrozo wrote an opinion piece for National Public Radio about one of the problems facing her discipline, that of repeatability. Scientific experiments are supposed to be replicable, which is a sign that the conclusions they reach are probably accurate. If water boils once at 212º Fahrenheit, then it may or may not be a fluke. But if a second research team boils water and also finds that things steam up at 212º, then the experiment is considered to have demonstrated something true.

Lambrozo's article is interesting, but the most instructive piece for me was the suggested course of action she set for herself after a discussion with another scientist: Aim to be less wrong.

That's something I think I might be able to manage.

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