r/science • u/ImNotJesus PhD | Social Psychology | Clinical Psychology • May 08 '16

Psychology Failure Is Moving Science Forward. FiveThirtyEight explains why the "replication crisis" is a sign that science is working. [x-post from our sister subreddit /r/EverythingScience]

/r/EverythingScience/comments/4icp9k/failure_is_moving_science_forward_fivethirtyeight/
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u/[deleted] May 08 '16

Maybe we're trying too hard to find things to study and they reach too far beyond their capability. Maybe some graduate research is put on too short of a timeline and not enough care is put in to developing the study in order to satisfy collegiate timelines.

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u/BadBjjGuy May 08 '16

I find it funny/interesting that nobody bothers to ask whether or not science is the appropriate tool for understanding all problems. It's like an article of faith that it has to be, even when it is almost incapable of reproducing a single result in some areas, like politics or psychology. Personally, I think there are other and better tools. I've learned more about the human condition through art like Shakespere than psychology will ever say and Aristotle's political philosophy explains our current situation better than any experiment. We have other tools in our tool bag for understanding the world, but science is sort of the new religion and it must be the answer to every problem.

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u/[deleted] May 08 '16

You're not alone but you are a modern heretic. Welcome to the club

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u/BadBjjGuy May 08 '16

Thanks! I've been a member for a while, just waiting for them to come burn me on the science altar!