TITLE: The Ability to Share Partial Results Accelerated Modern Science
AUTHOR: Eugene Wallingford
DATE: December 22, 2022 1:21 PM
DESC:
-----
BODY:
This passage is from Lewis Thomas's The Lives of a Cell,
in the essay "On Societies as Organisms":
The system of communications used in science should provide a neat,
workable model for studying mechanisms of information-building in
human society. Ziman, in a recent "Nature" essay, points out,
"the invention of a mechanism for the systematic publication of
fragments of scientific work may well have been the key
event in the history of modern science." He continues:
A regular journal carries from one research worker to another
the various ... observations which are of common interest. ...
A typical scientific paper has never pretended to be more than
another little piece in a larger jigsaw -- not significant in
itself but as an element in a grander scheme. The technique
of soliciting many modest contributions to the store of human
knowledge has been the secret of Western science since the
seventeenth century, for it achieves a corporate, collective
power that is far greater than any one individual can exert
[italics mine].
In the 21st century, sites like
arXiv
lowered the barrier to publishing and reading the work of other
scientists further. So did blogs, where scientists could post
even smaller, fresher fragments of knowledge. Blogs also
democratized science, by enabling scientists to explain results
for a wider audience and at greater length than journals allow.
Then came social media sites like Twitter, which made it even
easier for laypeople and scientists in other disciplines to
watch -- and participate in -- the conversation.
I realize that this blog post quotes an essay that quotes another
essay. But I would never have seen the Ziman passage without
reading Lewis. Perhaps you would not have seen the Lewis passage
without reading this post?
When I was in college, the primary way I learned about things I
didn't read myself was by hearing about them from classmates.
That mode of sharing puts a high premium on having the right kind
of friends. Now, blogs and social media extend our reach. They
help us share ideas and inspirations, as well as helping us to
collaborate on science.
~~~~
I first mentioned The Lives of a Cell a couple of weeks
ago, in
If only ants watched Netflix....
This post may not be the last to cite the book. I find something
quotable and worth further thought every few pages.
-----