Quote
The strong correlation between flashiness and wrongness comes from several factors. First, much, if not most, scientific research is wrong. That’s why it’s research; if we knew the answers ahead of time, we wouldn’t need to do science. Many scientific papers are speculative, dependent on hyperspecific assumptions of controlled parameters, or just crazy ideas shot into the dark. It’s through this constant bubbling of ideas and results and studies that we poke and prod at nature’s workings, hoping to tease out some glimmer of deeper understanding.
Second, scientists endure perverse incentives to publish as much as possible—to “publish or perish”—and to get their results in top-tier journals as much as possible. Since the biggest ones only take on the most impactful research, there is tremendous pressure in academia to inflate results and make big, bold claims, increasing the chances that their tenuous results will not hold up to further scrutiny.— Paul Sutter
Share
Sign In to comment on this quote
