Inquiring Scientists
Scientists can never be certain. They have to question everything and try to find fault or assurance in every experiment. In the book, The Great Influenza, by John M. Barry, he describes the necessity of certainty in the lives of scientists. Scientist have to be curious, they have to have doubts in order to find successes. If nothing is every questioned, nothing is ever learned. Throughout this passage, Barry uses repetition, metaphor, and rhetorical questioning to explain the need for scientific questioning.
People have to believe in themselves to accomplish anything in life. They have to know they are capable of greatness. They have to rise up and show strength when others are derogatory and impose negative opinions. In the first paragraph, Barry uses repetition to explain the negative affects of uncertainty. He states, “Uncertainty creates weakness. Uncertainty makes one tentative if not fearful…” Uncertainty is used repeatedly to make clear the negative affects of this particular type of thinking. The next devise used is metaphor. He relates the science lab to the frontier. In the wilderness travelers always have to conquer the unknown. Scientists never know what to expect. They make hypotheses, but they are often incorrect. He continues by explaining that the best frontiersmen travel further and further into the wilderness where they know nothing about the environment. They learn to use tools that are unfamiliar to them. Scientists do the same. They find comfort in the unfamiliar. They thrive on discovering a world that seems entirely different. Throughout the fifth paragraph rhetorical questions are used several times. To prove his point that scientific research is extremely difficult, Barry questions, “If the rock is impenetrable, if dynamite would destroy what one is looking for, is there another way of getting information about what the rock holds?” In the previous sentence, he stated that a pick digs through soil, but cannot infiltrate rocks. If scientists want to see the inside of the rock, but a pick will not dig through and dynamite will destroy, scientists are forced to find alternative solutions. Careful consideration of every aspect has to be taking in the scientific field. Scientists are intelligent, inquisitive individuals that deserve more credit than they receive. They cannot be overconfident because then mistakes will be made, however, they cannot be uncertain because they will be too timid to ever make conclusions. Mistakes are an essential part of success and the timid are not able to reach great levels of success due to the fact that they are not comfortable taking risks. Scientists make incredible breakthroughs, which is why their opinions are valued and their experiments are constructed. |