When we learn things by studying or doing research, we perceive understanding as coming to us in step-like a-ha moments. I will argue that these moments happen more likely when we recognize (or map our observations to) specific patterns of explanation. The snag is, of course, that reality doesn’t always follow human-preferred patterns, so they […]
Category: Scientific practice
The embers of collective intelligence in science
In this blog post, I’ll explore reasons to call science a product of collective intelligence. I’ll look for something more than the sum of its parts, something more than a Cartesian or Baconian view of science as an edifice built by the contributions of many individuals. Are there steps of scientific progress taken by several […]
The eureka fallacy of symmetry
This post continues the theme of how quirks of the human psyche limit our advancement of knowledge—quirks that are very much avoidable if you are aware of them, but if you aren’t, they move the goalposts for scoring that Eureka feeling. I’ll entertain the hypothesis that if we are presented with a symmetrical, neatly structured […]
Take statistics back from the statisticians!
(The title is as clickbait-y and tongue-in-cheek as ever. The cover illustration is by Midjourney, prompted by “I love my baby. My baby loves statistics.” . . which is, of course, a wink to that good old U/F/O track sampling Ken Nordine.) This post discusses the unfortunate and detrimental division of labor between statisticians and […]
Six tips for interdisciplinary lovers
I think I know a lot about interdisciplinary collaborations, so I’ve been planning to write down some notes for a long time. Tongue in cheek, but also serious. Take time to get to know each other Yes, it will take time. It might feel like you understand each other from the moment you met; that […]
The well-groomed anarchists: Why the world needs computational social science
The world needs computational social science, and it is not only, or even primarily, about the AI revolution. The reasons follow below and I also cover what a computational social scientist should know, do, and a few words about our hairstyles. Should it really be an academic discipline? Maybe this is changing, but five or […]
The twilight of fantastical science
A post arguing that we shouldn’t give bonus points to off-beat and bold theories just because they are off-beat and bold. The allure of deep, hidden connections Probably we all had moments when we were seduced by the idea that there are unknown, hidden, long-ranging connections between seemingly distant parts of reality. The examples range […]
Analogies at the edge of reason
Making analogies is the engine of human intelligence, but for humanity as a whole, and our collective-intelligence enterprise called science, it is an obstacle. I’ll try to expand on that in this, maybe not sharpest of posts. Hypotheses In science and life alike, we use analogies as shortcuts to form hypotheses. Any other strategy—experimenting, making […]
The poster lovers’ manifesto
The arguments As in-person conferences are returning after the pandemic, here’s a tongue-in-cheek blog post to set the priorities straight. It’s simple: poster presentations are better than oral. Or, more precisely, the only reason not everyone is excited about poster sessions is that they are the Cinderellas of academic conferences: tucked into some small and […]
Temporal networks and the extraordinary fluidity of effortless abstractions
This is a semi-grumpy post about the many ambiguities and reinventions in the field of temporal networks. Cheerful posts are more fun, so do consider browsing away. Also, I’m not always contributing to clarity myself, so maybe I’m not entitled to whine about this. Many types of data consist of discrete interaction events, where we […]
Petter Holme 