Episode 25: Reverentia Ad Auctoritatem

Nullius in Verba

In the first episode of 2024, we discuss the double-edged sword: reverence to authority. Should scientists respect others on whose shoulders they stand? Or should they be wary of appeal to authority? How should scientists deal with other sources of authority in science, like for example, the government or academic societies? And how can we differentiate true expertise from mere authority? Enjoy.

Shownotes

• Frank, P. (1956). The role of authority in the interpretation of science. Synthese, 10, 335–338.
• Barber, B. (1952). Science and the social order. Glencoe, Ill. : Free Press. http://archive.org/details/sciencesocialord0000barb
• Barber, B. (1961). Resistance by Scientists to Scientific Discovery. Science, 134(3479), 596–602.
• Kitcher, P. (1992). Authority, deference, and the role of individual reasoning in science. In E. Mcmullin (Ed.), The social dimensions of science. Notre Dame: The University of Notre Dame Press
• Polanyi, M. (1962). The republic of science. Minerva, 1(1), 54–73
• The practice of two-spaces after the end of a sentence comes from when type-writers used monospaced typefaces: https://slate.com/technology/2011/01/two-spaces-after-a-period-why-you-should-never-ever-do-it.html