Szantay Jr. Anthropic Awareness

The Human Aspects of Scientific Thinking in NMR Spectroscopy and Mass Spectrometry
1. Auflage 2015
ISBN: 978-0-12-419979-8
Verlag: Elsevier Science & Techn.
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 464 Seiten

Anthropic Awareness: The Human Aspects of Scientific Thinking in NMR Spectroscopy and Mass Spectrometry blends psychology, philosophy, physics, mathematics, and chemistry, describing a human-centered philosophy of the essence of scientific thinking in the natural sciences and in everyday life. It addresses the reasons why we are prone to make errors in our conclusions and how to avoid such mistakes, also exploring a number of the 'mental traps' that can lead to both individual mistakes and mass misconceptions. The book advocates that by understanding the nature of these mental traps we can adopt tactics to safely evade them. It includes Illustrative examples of common scientific misunderstandings and mental traps in both the theory and real-life application of NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. - Provides strategies on how to deal with molecular challenges and instrument limitations - Presents multiple applications of small molecule structure elucidation using NMR, MS, IR, and UV - Explores critical topics, including anthropic awareness (AA), NMR Spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, scientific thinking, and more - Includes tactics on how to Improve quality control and data interpretation skills while minimizing data analysis time and increasing confidence in results - Presents coverage on tactics to optimize experimental NMR parameters and enhance NMR vocabulary

Csaba Sz ntay, Jr. was born in Budapest, Hungary, but partly attended elementary school in Bufffalo, NY, USA. He obtained an MSc degree in organic chemistry from the Budapest University of Technology and Economics in 1982 with his final thesis involving the methodology and use of NMR spectroscopy. Subsequently, he became a PhD research fellow in Prof. G bor T¢th's NMR laboratory at the Department of Analytical Chemistry, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, and obtained his PhD in 1986 in NMR. After that, he worked as a postdoctoral fellow in the NMR laboratory of the University of Leeds, UK. Having returned to Hungary in 1989, he became a member of the NMR team of the Spectroscopic Research Division of the Hungarian pharmaceutical company Gedeon Richter Plc. He was promoted as head of the Division in 1994 and has been in this position since then. He has also maintained a teaching position at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics. He received a 'Candidatura degree in 1991 and a 'Doctor of Sciences" degree in 2000 from the Hungarian Academy of Sciences for his work in NMR spectroscopy. In 2003, he was became a Private Professor at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics. Besides holding several positions in various scientific committees, he is on the Editorial Board of the journal Concepts in Magnetic Resonance and is currently the president of the Hungarian NMR Discussion Group of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Along with his managerial duties, his main fields of research interests are the structure elucidation of organic molecules and the theoretical aspects of NMR. He is the author/co-author of more than 100 papers published in international scientific journals."

Autoren/Hrsg.

Szantay Jr., Csaba

Leseproben

Chapter 1 The Philosophy of “Anthropic Awareness” in Scientific Thinking
Csaba Szántay, Jr.    Gedeon Richter Plc, Spectroscopic Research Division, Budapest, Hungary Abstract
This chapter discusses the philosophical background of the remainder of the book. It outlines a way of thinking called “Anthropic Awareness” that focuses on developing a keen mindfulness of how our human nature influences our thoughts in and about science, and on how this influence can secretly lead us into various “Mental Traps.” The chapter comprises of two main parts: Firstly, it discusses 30 “Pillars,” each of which addresses a different aspect of science and the Mental Traps from an “anthropic” point of view. The Pillars include such topics as what we mean by scientific truth, the role of emotions in scientific thinking, the assessment of scientific models, metaphors in science, paradigms, and “everyday thinking” versus “scientific thinking.” Secondly, it outlines 45 Mental Traps that are the most relevant in understanding scientific descriptions and in conducting scientific research. These Mental Traps are an intrinsic feature of how we think both in science and in our everyday lives, and only by becoming conscious of them can we properly avoid them. Keywords Scientific truth Human factor Mental traps Avoiding error Philosophy Psychology Scientific theory Model Law Outline 1.1 Introduction   5 1.2 The Pillars   8 Pillar 1. AA Is a Tool   9 Pillar 2. The Definition of “Science”   9 Pillar 3. The Concepts of “Science” and “Scientific Truth”   9 Pillar 4. The AA Model of Scientific Thinking   16 Pillar 5. On the Meaning of “Description” and “Understanding”   26 Pillar 6. The Triangle of Understanding   27 Pillar 7. The Relationship Between the AA Model of Thinking and the Triangle of Understanding   31 Pillar 8. Language   31 Pillar 9. The Definition of Definition   32 Pillar 10. Scientific Hypotheses, Models, Theories, Laws, Explanations, Metaphors, and Metaphoric Models   32 Pillar 11. Creativity in Science   37 Pillar 12. Scientific Communication   38 Pillar 13. Sound and Unsound Models   38 Pillar 14. The Role of Refutation in Science   41 Pillar 15. The Practical Versus Theoretical Significance of Exposing Delusors   42 Pillar 16. Paradigm Nests   42 Pillar 17. “Forward” and “Backward” Scientific Research   44 Pillar 18. The Meaning of “New” Scientific Result   45 Pillar 19. The Meaning of “Significant” Scientific Result   47 Pillar 20. Reporting Scientific Results   48 Pillar 21. The “Spideric” Nature of a Scientific Problem   48 Pillar 22. AA in the Context of the Literature and Other Initiatives Addressing Cognitive Errors   49 Pillar 23. “Everyday Thinking” Versus “Scientific Thinking”   51 Pillar 24. The Trap-Experience   52 Pillar 25. The Dual Nature of Mental Traps   52 Pillar 26. Mental Traps in Relation to Scientific Knowledge and Intellect (“Educated Error”)   52 Pillar 27. The Relationship and Synergy of Mental Traps   53 Pillar 28. Identifying the Mental Traps   54 Pillar 29. Trap-Blindness and Avoiding Mental Traps   54 Pillar 30. Trap-Consciousness and the “Sacredness” of Science   54 1.3 Mental Traps (Mind Your Mind!)   55 Interlude   55 Mental Trap (Master Trap) #1. We Seek Mental Security (the “Enjoy-Your-Flight” Effect)   55 Mental Trap (Master Trap) #2. We Have An Instinctive Urge to Interpret Data   57 Mental Trap (Master Trap) #3. Belief Dominates Over Reason   57 Mental Trap #4. The Initial Belief Syndrome   59 Mental Trap #5. We Accept Anecdotal Evidence   59 Mental Trap #6. We Tend to Trust Authority Without Question (Might is Right)   60 Mental Trap #7. We Go With the Crowd (Herd Instinct)   60 Mental Trap #8. We Accept Knowledge Based on Tradition   61 Mental Trap #9. We Think Inside Our Paradigm Nests   61 Mental Trap #10. We Accept Intuitively Appealing Explanations   62 Mental Trap #11. We Confuse Mathematical Descriptions with a Physical Understanding   62 Mental Trap #12. We Project the Absolute Truths of Mathematics Onto Physics   63 Mental Trap #13. Reflective Versus Reflexive “Physicalization” of Abstract Mathematical Entities   63 Mental Trap #14. We Confuse Familiarity with Understanding   65 Interlude   66 Mental Trap #15. The Twin Devils of Detail and Entirety   67 Mental Trap #16. Our Mind Loves Metaphors   68 Mental Trap #17. We Are Inclined to Use Superficial Analogies   69 Interlude   69 Mental Trap #18. We Confuse the Model with Reality   69 Mental Trap #19. We Attribute Too Broad a Range of Application to a Model   70 Mental Trap #20. We Confuse a Model’s Inherent Limitations with Its Flaws   71 Mental Trap #21. The Don’t-Look-Any-Further Effect (Confusing Consistency with Correctness)   71 Mental Trap #22. We Rejoice Before Finding the Full Solution   72 Mental Trap #23. Hypothesis Obsession (The Lock-On, Lock-Out Effect)...