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Can you elaborate on why you believe this to be the case? Saying that a scientist is one who does science seems like a truism bordering on being tautological. I

by epenn 13y ago

Can you elaborate on why you believe this to be the case? Saying that a scientist is one who does science seems like a truism bordering on being tautological. I'm curious why you disagree.

swombat 13y ago
Does knowing a bit of physics make you a physicist? Does praying make you a monk? Does mixing a few chemicals make you a chemist? Does having some theories about people's motivations make you a behavioural psychologist? Does balancing a budget make you an accountant? "Scientist" implies a certain amount of knowledge, training, discipline, etc. I'm not implying that every scientist needs to have undergone academic training - there are other ways - but merely doing a scientific experiment is not enough to call yourself a scientist. A scientist is one who "does science" with some knowledge, consistency and perseverance.
- foobarbazqux 13y ago
  I guess you'd better edit Wikipedia: > In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. [...] This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientist https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientist
  - swombat 13y ago
    Wikipedia is not the ultimate repository of human knowledge, particularly when it comes to more tricky questions like "what is a scientist?"... If we're going to throw definitions around, how about dictionary.com: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/scientist?s=t http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/scientist?s=t > an expert in science, especially one of the physical or natural sciences.
    - foobarbazqux 13y ago
      Actually I think Wikipedia is pretty good for tricky questions, in that they attract a lot of attention and receive a lot of edits. If being a scientist is determined by the consensus of one's peers, it seems like it makes sense to accept an article defining what scientists are that is written as a consensus opinion. But anyway, if you think it's wrong, why don't you edit it?
- Tichy 13y ago
  I'd say doing science requires a specific mindset. Using amount of knowledge as a criterion seems wrong - how did the first scientists come about, presumably they didn't know anything at all yet?
- seanmcdirmid 13y ago
  "Scientist" is a fluffy title like "Doctor" or "Professor", conveyed by other people or authorities for classification in a hierarchical/segmented society. As a researcher, I wear many hats doing design, coding, science, writing, etc..., but my title is just "researcher" because of the role I fill professionally.

by epenn 13y ago

Can you elaborate on why you believe this to be the case? Saying that a scientist is one who does science seems like a truism bordering on being tautological. I'm curious why you disagree.

swombat 13y ago

Does knowing a bit of physics make you a physicist? Does praying make you a monk? Does mixing a few chemicals make you a chemist? Does having some theories about people's motivations make you a behavioural psychologist? Does balancing a budget make you an accountant? "Scientist" implies a certain amount of knowledge, training, discipline, etc. I'm not implying that every scientist needs to have undergone academic training - there are other ways - but merely doing a scientific experiment is not enough to call yourself a scientist. A scientist is one who "does science" with some knowledge, consistency and perseverance.

foobarbazqux 13y ago
I guess you'd better edit Wikipedia: > In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. [...] This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientist https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientist
- swombat 13y ago
  Wikipedia is not the ultimate repository of human knowledge, particularly when it comes to more tricky questions like "what is a scientist?"... If we're going to throw definitions around, how about dictionary.com: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/scientist?s=t http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/scientist?s=t > an expert in science, especially one of the physical or natural sciences.
  - foobarbazqux 13y ago
    Actually I think Wikipedia is pretty good for tricky questions, in that they attract a lot of attention and receive a lot of edits. If being a scientist is determined by the consensus of one's peers, it seems like it makes sense to accept an article defining what scientists are that is written as a consensus opinion. But anyway, if you think it's wrong, why don't you edit it?
Tichy 13y ago
I'd say doing science requires a specific mindset. Using amount of knowledge as a criterion seems wrong - how did the first scientists come about, presumably they didn't know anything at all yet?
seanmcdirmid 13y ago
"Scientist" is a fluffy title like "Doctor" or "Professor", conveyed by other people or authorities for classification in a hierarchical/segmented society. As a researcher, I wear many hats doing design, coding, science, writing, etc..., but my title is just "researcher" because of the role I fill professionally.