“In all sensation we pick and choose, interpret, seek and impose order, and devise and test hypotheses about what we witness. Sense data are taken, not merely given: we learn to perceive.... The teacher has forgotten, and the student himself will soon forget, that what he sees conveys no information until he knows beforehand the kind of thing he is expected to see.” KnowsKindOrderGivenForgetTakenTeacherInformationStudentsPicksTestsForgottenExpectedWitnessDataPerceiveSensationsHypothesis Author:Peter Medawar
“The intensity of a conviction that a hypothesis is true has no bearing on whether it is true or false. The importance of the strength of our conviction is only to provide a proportionately strong incentive to find out if the hypothesis will stand up to critical evaluation.” IfsStrongImportanceConvictionCriticalIntensityHypothesisIncentivesEvaluationTrue Or False Book:Advice to a young scientist Source: Advice to a young scientist
“I cannot give any scientist of any age better advice than this: the intensity of a conviction that a hypothesis is true has no bearing over whether it is true or not.” GivingTruthAgeAdviceArgumentScientistConvictionIntensityHypothesis Book:Advice to a young scientist Source: Advice to a young scientist
“It is a common failing-and one that I have myself suffered from-to fall in love with a hypothesis and to be unwilling to take no for an answer. A love affair with a pet hypothesis can waste years of precious time. There is very often no finally decisive yes, though quite often there can be a decisive no.” YearsScienceFallAnswersCommonFailingWasteFalling In LoveAffairPetHypothesisUnwillingLove AffairPrecious Time Book:Advice to a young scientist Source: Advice to a young scientist
“Twice in my life I have spent two weary and scientifically profitless years seeking evidence to corroborate dearly loved hypotheses that later proved to be groundless; times such as these are hard for scientists-days of leaden gray skies bringing with them a miserable sense of oppression and inadequacy.” YearsTwoHardScienceSkyEvidenceScientistSeekingOppressionMiserableGrayWearyHypothesisInadequacyGray Skies Book:Advice to a young scientist Source: Advice to a young scientist
