Thank Goodness It's Monday #296

CROSS-EXAMINING NATURE:

DR. BRESLOW EXPLAINS IT TO YOU

Dr. Ronald Breslow, professor of chemistry and University Professor at Columbia University is a pioneering researcher on bioorganic and physical organic chemistry.

He’s won every chemistry prize and honor short of the Nobel Prize (not yet, anyway) and even has some named for him. And he’s established an endowed professorship to keep the scientific process moving forward. More about that here.

And for years he was my next door neighbor.

Full disclosure: I know precious little about chemistry, despite the best efforts of Nutley High School’s devoted science department head, Henry Gutknecht.

But Ron still managed to teach me a thing or two.

And since we just celebrated a “significant” birthday with him, I’d like to honor and acknowledge him in this TGIM message by seeing if I can share some of his wisdom with you.

TGIM Takeaway: The following applies to many life situations as well as the research laboratory.

Here is what is for me the heart of Dr. Breslow’s –

Most Enduring Life Lesson

Research is sometimes described as a conversation with Nature, but that is not quite the right metaphor.

It is, of course, important to listen to nature, not just to lecture at her.

However –

Except in purely exploratory studies, the interaction is more like the way that litigators conduct cross-examination, using leading questions that can usually be answered, “Yes” or “No.”

In much scientific research Nature is addressed with questions in the form:

“Is it not true that …?”

Experiments are designed to pose such questions.

● Sometimes the answer is—

“Yes, you are right; your theory may be correct.”

● Sometimes the answer is—

“No, you are on the wrong track.”

● Sometimes the best answer can be—

“No you don’t have it quite right;

the real situation is the following,

much more interesting than your simple idea.”

TGIM ACTION IDEA: If we don’t insist that our first ideas be correct, Answer #3 can be the most exciting result since it leads us to new concepts.

One more point: Attorneys have a rule about cross-examination: “Avoid surprises. Never ask questions to which you do not know the answer.”

Dr. Breslow suggests: In science -- and in daily life -- our rule should normally be just the reverse.

Happy birthday, Ron. Thanks for all the presents.

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373

tgimguy@gmail.com   

P.S. “The chess-board is the world; the pieces are the phenomena of the universe; the rules of the game are what we call the laws of Nature. The player on the other side is hidden from us. We know that his play is always fair, and patient. But also we know, to our cost, that he never overlooks a mistake, or makes the smallest allowance for ignorance.” Thomas Henry Huxley (1825-95) English biologist said that.