Scientific Method: Starting on 14 September 2021, our first topic will be the scientific method. We will follow this sequence of talks by revisiting the science of evolution in the latter part of the fall and looking at scientific work on the nature of consciousness during the winter. Our discussion of scientific method will include topics such as the nature of scientific explanation, the experimental method, the trustworthiness of scientific claims, the ways science can go wrong, the ways scientists' thinking can be fettered, and the motivations of scientists.
14 September 2021
David Deutch, "A New Way to Explain Explanation," 2009, 16:38
21 September 2021
James Beacham, "How We Explore Unanswered Questions in Physics," 2016, 15:45
28 September 2021
Naomi Oreskes, "Why We Should Trust Scientists," 2014, 19:01
5 October 2021
Informal Chat
12 October 2021
Kirsty Duncan, "Scientists Must Be Free to Learn, to Speak, and to Challenge," 2018,13:46
19 October 2021
Marshall Shepherd, "3 Kinds of Bias that Shape Your Worldview," 2018, 12:12
26 October 2021
Nadya Mason, "How to Spark Your Curiosity, Scientifically," 2019, 11:18
2 November 2021
E. O. Wilson, "Advice to a Young Scientist," 2012, 14:40
9 November 2021
Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz, "Your Body was Forged in the Spectacular Death of Stars," 2019, 15:25