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Jun. 01, 2012
Why Ignorance Trumps Knowledge in Scientific Pursuit
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SNACKA Brain Outside of the Box
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In Ignorance: How It Drives Science, neuroscientist Stuart Firestein writes that science is often like looking for a black cat in a dark room, and there may not be a cat in the room. Firestein discusses why the hit-or-miss process, the “not knowing” is the true engine of science.
In the SciFri Snack: Neuroscientist Stuart Firestein, Author of Ignorance: How it Drive Science explains why the biggest obstacle to understanding the brain is having one. Check out more SciFri Snacks -- and join a conversation about what you've heard -- at Sound Cloud.
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Guests
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Stuart Firestein
Author, "Ignorance: How it Drives Science" (Oxford, 2012)
Professor and Chair, Department of Biological Sciences
Columbia University
New York, New York
RELATED READING
Ignorance: How It Drives Science
by Stuart Firestein
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