The primary fuel for hypothesis generation is the observation. From this hypothesis, experiments can be performed to test its validity, first and foremost by systematically replicating the observation in controlled conditions, primarily to destroy the hypothesis. If the hypothesis is unable to be defeated, then it stands. In many cases, you are fighting a battle that you know you will lose. This hypothesis, upon multiple victories, then becomes a theory which can be applied not only to purely scientific pursuits but to new product design, new policy design, or in business case development for example. However, several considerations must be made before undertaking a rigorous set of experimental investigations regardless of the purpose. One must first ask, is the project feasible? This basic question plays into both considerations and constraints to a given project.
conjecture filtered through science
Sunday, December 22, 2013
Moving from Idea: Considerations and Constraints in Hypothesis Marketing
The primary fuel for hypothesis generation is the observation. From this hypothesis, experiments can be performed to test its validity, first and foremost by systematically replicating the observation in controlled conditions, primarily to destroy the hypothesis. If the hypothesis is unable to be defeated, then it stands. In many cases, you are fighting a battle that you know you will lose. This hypothesis, upon multiple victories, then becomes a theory which can be applied not only to purely scientific pursuits but to new product design, new policy design, or in business case development for example. However, several considerations must be made before undertaking a rigorous set of experimental investigations regardless of the purpose. One must first ask, is the project feasible? This basic question plays into both considerations and constraints to a given project.
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Essential not Existential
In the 1940's though 1960's, and sometimes even into today, the philosophy of Existentialism was established which according to one early proponent; Jean-Paul Sartre, who famously refused the Nobel Prize for literature because he worried it would influence his prose, suggests that "existence comes before essence." At least when it comes to humans anyway. This is of course wrong, despite the works of reputable scientists like Steven Pinker and his book The Blank Slate and despite psychological heroes such as B. F. Skinner, the founder of behaviorism who quipped, "give me a child and I will shape him into anything." Despite being an interesting way to view the world, existentialism is wrong and below I discuss why.
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Book Review: Can Man Be Modified?
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Above the Meritocracy
This post was previously published in the Mayo Clinic Diversity in Education Blog.
It is without a doubt that we live in a meritocracy; i.e. a
society that has a built in rank and opportunity based on certificates,
degrees, and records to determine worth.
This is not unique to the realm of science, where indeed we are pigeon
holed by our degrees, but can be seen in all sectors of our society. However, we are not just bound by our degrees
but by our institutions and our associations.
While this may not be ideal for your self esteem, it establishes a
simplification of social dynamics that is almost formulaic in nature. Given that we can not radically alter our
scholastic training, from scientist to engineer; nor institutional associations,
from Mayo to U of MN; we can assume those variables to be fixed. What is left in the equation is our
associations. How can we rise above the
mass of others who have obtained the same degrees and fit the same requirements
for a given job? How can we rise above the meritocracy of civilized society? The answer is networking. I am not the first to promulgate this point and several others have done it better than I, so I will leave it to you to examine some of the other articles on this subject to get the larger picture. (Here's just one) However, below are four simple points to help you on your way.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
How Accountability Will Save America
I'll keep this brief. More taxes are not going to save the economy and they are not going to lift up the poor. They will perpetuate the same old system of governmental failing we have seen time and time again. I could show you a laundry list of tax increases in American history that were followed by an increase in national debt (but you probably wouldn't read it). Why would more taxes be different this time? It won't. You can't keep throwing money at a dead horse and expect it to win the next race. The problem in America is with accountability.
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Preventing Death 101
There is one statistic that I don't have to make up. Sooner or later 100% of people will succumb to some sort of death or another. To paraphrase the title of the first Doors biography, "no one is getting out of here alive."
The number one problem facing earth's population is death. As such, I am proposing my own organization, that I encourage you all to join. (I might name it Human's Against Human Aging or HAHA.) This organization will be dedicated to preventing death where ever it is found and funding other organizations that also stand behind this cause. It is obvious that trying to prevent death alone is a losing battle (take every individual who has gone before us for example). However, if we pool our brain power and our resources we might end death (at least for some) by the end of the 21st century. I know this seems like a bold (perhaps fantastical) goal, but it can be fully accomplished (if we divert resources away from other fantastical goals such as preventing global warming, diets that really work, or putting our faith in the debt creating political class). Below I discuss several measures currently underway that will help to accomplish this goal.
The number one problem facing earth's population is death. As such, I am proposing my own organization, that I encourage you all to join. (I might name it Human's Against Human Aging or HAHA.) This organization will be dedicated to preventing death where ever it is found and funding other organizations that also stand behind this cause. It is obvious that trying to prevent death alone is a losing battle (take every individual who has gone before us for example). However, if we pool our brain power and our resources we might end death (at least for some) by the end of the 21st century. I know this seems like a bold (perhaps fantastical) goal, but it can be fully accomplished (if we divert resources away from other fantastical goals such as preventing global warming, diets that really work, or putting our faith in the debt creating political class). Below I discuss several measures currently underway that will help to accomplish this goal.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
A New Way for Science
Out with the old. In with the new. This is the adage that fits the proposal that I have for a new way to train scientists. Why, you may ask, do I think I am an expert on the training of scientists? Lets be clear, I am no expert on scientific training, but I have been trained scientifically in various ways. I have two bachelors degrees and am nearing the completion of my PhD, I have also worked in various laboratories that were run in extremely different ways. This gives me some perspective on the pros and cons of these types of training. So what is this new way to teach science and why is it better?
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