06/01/2012

Why Ignorance Trumps Knowledge in Scientific Pursuit

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 Soundcloud.

Segment Guests

Stuart Firestein

Stuart Firestein is the author of Failure: Why Science Is So Successful (Oxford University Press, 2015) and a neuroscience professor at Columbia University. He is based in New York, New York.