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There's a lot of celebrity chasing going on even in the physical sciences. I see it most in theoretical physics where papers can be published at an astonishing
by OldGuyInTheClub 3y ago
There's a lot of celebrity chasing going on even in the physical sciences. I see it most in theoretical physics where papers can be published at an astonishing clip. Experiments however take much longer and if the numbers don't line up, they don't get published. In the rare cases that they do, the penalties are severe. But, when a theory or family of theories gets wiped out by a measurement, there's not the same blowback.
I am also concerned by the willingness of so many physicists to cozy up to the oligarchs.
- l0b0 3y agoIn theoretical physics it's understood that the work is speculative, not empirical - reality always wins, after all. There's no ill will towards people who propose wrong theories of physics, because they are trying to guide where experimental physics should look next. Dan Ariely and Francesca Gino were faking empirical evidence, the thing that, more than anything else in science, determines what is actually true about the world. > Experiments however take much longer and if the numbers don't line up, they don't get published. If by "they" you mean experimental physics results which don't line up with popular theories, you must be talking about another planet than Earth. Physicists love nothing more than a surprising result.
- monero-xmr 3y agoAn oligarch is just a label for a rich person you don’t like. If you have an expensive experiment and need a lot of cash, it makes sense to go with people who have extra cash and an interest in funding science.