tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506135718533366764.post2588331301851538250..comments2024-03-23T14:27:28.386-04:00Comments on RajLab: Priority in science is mostly a mirageARhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13811773097412828786noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506135718533366764.post-2517780878194913542015-06-30T06:18:46.752-04:002015-06-30T06:18:46.752-04:00And let's not forget that evolution by natural...And let's not forget that evolution by natural selection was worked out independently by Darwin and Wallace!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13379919382393318265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506135718533366764.post-15722528868727944752015-03-20T20:24:30.503-04:002015-03-20T20:24:30.503-04:00I agree completely. I think it's a choice to t...I agree completely. I think it's a choice to try to do something original, and it's a good choice to make. Then again, if you want to try and "win" on the current fad, that's fine, too. That is also progress. I think it's a matter of style.ARhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13811773097412828786noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506135718533366764.post-57946079069205801922015-03-20T15:27:50.544-04:002015-03-20T15:27:50.544-04:00Arjun, I agree that in case of CRISPR and many oth... Arjun, I agree that in case of CRISPR and many other biomedical discoveries, especially those requiring much resources, assigning priority is not possible.<br /> <br /> That being said, many scientists think of a minority of expectational cases, such as general relativity or Feynman diagrams, in which the priority of the conceptual insight is quite clear, at least in my opinion. These are the most shiny examples of scientific triumph, so it is utterly unsurprising that they create a seductive expectation. Virtually everybody fails that high expectation but that does not stop ambitious people from trying to create a <a href="https://majesticforest.wordpress.com/2014/12/28/what-impedes-substantive-progress/" rel="nofollow">make-belief greatness</a>.<br /><br />I do agree that nowadays for almost all scientists, the probability of doing research of the originality and advanced-thinking of general relativity or Feynman diagrams is very close to zero. However, I think that there is a wide distribution in terms of how likely it is contribute a genuinely new idea, and our <a href="https://majesticforest.wordpress.com/2013/09/26/the-best-projects-are-least-obvious/" rel="nofollow">choice can move that probability anywhere from zero (do the next step in CRISPR research) to significantly above zero</a> ... if you choose well your "neglected" area, it is not necessarily unimportant. Perhaps our main difference of opinion is in how much above zero the probability is: it's impossible to put a number on it but I think it is high enough to be worth our best efforts. Nikolai Slavovhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07745570167192733048noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506135718533366764.post-77020002102693317702015-03-20T10:49:29.264-04:002015-03-20T10:49:29.264-04:00Interesting post. I think the whole issue of prior...Interesting post. I think the whole issue of priority in science can be damaging. This is because we have a habit of putting published papers on a pedestal (of enshrined truth). So you can have a situation of two groups, each with a manuscript on the same thing, racing to publish. It's very arbitrary, but one paper is accepted. The group has won and now the other paper is useless. I'm only slightly exaggerating here.<br />It's often said that "it's better to be right than first", but I'm not sure how realistic this advice is these days. Especially with so many scientists (as you point out) pursuing similar lines.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506135718533366764.post-71624336608719384532015-03-20T08:27:37.014-04:002015-03-20T08:27:37.014-04:00" Well, if the goal is to make a discovery t..." Well, if the goal is to make a discovery that would take a long time to happen if you did not exist, then you can [do] something that nobody cares about. ."<br /><br />I guess I am on the right track, then :-)PedroShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02404776246982814786noreply@blogger.com