 | Andrew C Fabian
Royal Society research professor at the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Cambridge, and specialist in cosmic radiation sources
The basis of the scientific method - particularly the importance of reproducible observations or experiments
It is important that everyone understands the basis of the scientific method - particularly the importance of reproducible observations or experiments. From such observations and experiments, through extrapolation and interpolation, our current understanding of the universe, its contents, and how it works has arisen. As a corollary, I think it important that everyone understands the limitations of what is known - either because our observations or experiments are incomplete, or because the phenomenon is too complex for now. It should be okay for a scientist who has been posed a question to answer: 'I do not know, but I will find a way to learn more.' Andrew Fabian is editor of Origins: The Darwin College Lectures (buy this book from Amazon (UK) or Amazon (USA)), and coeditor of The X-Ray Background (buy this book from Amazon (UK) or Amazon (USA)).
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