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Jean-Claude Bradley presents at a panel at Lawrence Sowder's class on Rhetoric of Science at Drexel University on October 6, 2010. The key point discussed is that uncertainty cannot be removed from the scientific process but it can be reduced by transparency. Scientists must be comfortable with ambiguity.
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The meaning of data
Jean-Claude Bradley
October 6, 2010
Rhetoric of Science Panel COM400 Class at Drexel University
Associate Professor of ChemistryDrexel University
There are NO FACTS, only measurements
embedded within assumptions
In principle one experiment is enough to invalidate a theory
In practice, it takes a lot more than one experiment to make any progress because uncertainty is
unavoidable
How bad is our current system? Try to find the solubility EGCG?
=2.3 g/L
Contradictions are common
Uncertainty is unavoidable
But it can be reduced with transparency
TRUST
PROOF
Data provenance: From Wikipedia to…
…the lab notebook and raw data
Interactive NMR spectra using JSpecView and JCAMP-DX
Raw Data As Images
Splatter?
Some liquid
YouTube for demonstrating experimental set-up
Scientists are comfortable with ambiguity and use fuzzy
logic to solve problems
Scientists don’t deal in facts – they deal in evidence
