So how do scientists gain knowledge, if not by using the scientific method?pic.twitter.com/KaSVdLklhh
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Yup; and nearly all scientists claim to believe in it, although two minutes of consideration of their own typical working day would be adequate to disprove it. It’s a law of nature that everyone has to have a religion, and this is one of them.
Curious what your source is for "nearly all scientists claim to believe it"? I associate it with science fans, less so with good scientists (though there are _some_ very good scientists who use the phrase). Also, related:pic.twitter.com/JGflUiSIoa
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“Nearly all” is just my anecdotal experience, which may be distorted by memory or atypical. Perhaps it’s also a generational thing? Indoctrination with 1950s philosophy of science may have been more prevalent when I was a student than it has been in recent decades.
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The scientific method should at least be given respect as an organizing myth, one still followed in the structure of a paper, especially when there is a definite experiment. It is also worthy to try to explain how science differs from other things, both to children and outsiders.
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I always thought that "the scientific method", like a lot of philosophical ideas, boils down to "y'know, thinking, doing, learning, the way you would if you actually gave a shit". It's sort of vacuous, but you need to give it a name to distinguish it from blind stupidity.
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I'm quite happy to adopt "y'know, thinking, doing, learning, the way you would if you actually gave a shit" as a formal definition of "The Scientific Method"
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Didn't Paul Feyeraband write about this in his book Against Method? The scientific method as a dogma actually inhibits scientific progress. It's not real. It's like the chivalric code, predominantly for optics, not actually followed.
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Most scientists I know pay a nodding respect to the scientific method. Like a very eminent person who it would be shocking to ignore or insult, but you want to take their advice with a pinch of salt.
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