Conduct in science

Conduct in science.

How to Conduct Science Experiments

Since before the time of the Ancient Greeks, thousands of years ago, people have tried to find out more about the world around them, wondering how and why things work. Scientists come up with many great ideas to show how things work, but for an idea to become accepted, it has to be tested [1]. The tool scientists use to test their theories is called the scientific method [2]. Whether you are st...

Right and Wrong in the Conduct of Science∗

Science, in particular physics, is a collective enterprise; a fruit of the exquisitely social nature of human living. So it is inevitable to encounter ethical issues in the natural sciences, since the contest of differing interests and views is perennial in its practice, indeed essential to its momentum. The crucial ethical question always hangs in the air: How is the truth best served? This is...

Social Psychology and the Pragmatic Conduct of Science

We chart our agreements and disagreements with Wallach and Wallach’s (2001) arguments. After listing some areas of agreement, we then make four arguments that undermine the Wallachs’ project. First, we argue the discovery of ‘laws’ is a goal neither of scientists nor of the discipline. Second, we suggest the Wallachs’ claim that social psychological theories are infused with unfalsifiable theor...

Doctoral Colloquium Keynote Address Conduct, Misconduct, and Cargo Cult Science

I will elaborate some principles of ethical conduct in science that correspond to Richard Feynman’s wellknown precepts of “utter honesty” and “leaning over backwards” in all aspects of scientific work. These principles have recently been called into question by certain individuals who allege that such rules are based on a misunderstanding of “how science actually works” and are therefore potent...