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: 6 - ePub Watermark

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)...