Episode 8: Scientia Cultus Sarcinarum

In this episode, we discuss physicist Richard Feynman’s famous speech ‘Cargo Cult Science,’ which refers to work that has all the affectations of science without the actual application of the scientific method. We also discuss topics like: What is pathological science? How might cargo cult science and pathological be different from pseudo-science? How do we know whether or not we’re in a cargo cult, and what can we do to make sure we're not fooling ourselves?

 

Shownotes

• Cargo Cult Science (Feynman, 1974)

• Gergen, K. J. (1973). Social psychology as history. Journal of personality and social psychology, 26(2), 309–320.

• Langmuir, I. (1989). Pathological science. Research-Technology Management, 32(5), 11-17.

• Sabine Hossenfelder. No one in physics dare say so, but the race to invent new particles is pointless. The Guardian.

• Young, P. T. (1932). Relative food preferences of the white rat. Journal of Comparative Psychology, 14(3), 297.

• Young, P. T. (1941). The experimental analysis of appetite. Psychological Bulletin, 38(3), 129.