marginalium noun

the notes one makes in the margins.

A short note on

on honesty as the aspiration of true science

March 8, 2023

source: thereader.mitpress.mit.edu

by Dorian Minors

I did brain science at Cambridge. Now I'm a behaviour science professor. Read my shit.

On honesty as the aspiration of true science. How close are we now?.

Feynman first cited a core value — honesty — which is a central scientific character virtue, and then went on to show an example of what this means for behavior. In saying that this requires a kind of “leaning over backwards,” Feynman clearly recognized that this prescription goes well beyond what is normally done or expected. It is an ideal. It may not be impossible to achieve, but certainly it will be very difficult.

and

Scientists do not always live up to these ideals, but the scientific community recognizes them as aspirational values that define what it means to be a member of the practice. Those who flout them do not deserve to be called scientists. Those who exemplify them with excellence are properly honored as exemplars.

If you don’t do the thinking, the thinking will be done for you.

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