THE ART OF SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION 



Discussions need to be conducted in a spirit of helpfulness 

 and mutual confidence and one should make a deliberate effort 

 to keep an open receptive mind. Discussions are usually best 

 when not more than about six are present. In such a group no 

 one should be afraid of admitting his ignorance on certain 

 matters and so having it corrected, for in these days of extreme 

 specialisation everyone's knowledge is restricted. Conscious 

 ignorance and intellectual honesty are important attributes for 

 the research man. Free discussion requires an atmosphere 

 unembarrassed by any suggestion of authority or even respect. 

 Brailsford Robertson tells the story of the great biochemist, 

 Jacques Loeb, who, when asked a question by a student after 

 a lecture, replied characteristically : 



" I cannot answer your question, because I have not yet read 

 that chapter in the text-book myself, but if you will come to me 

 to-morrow I shall then have read it, and may be able to answer 

 you."^* 



Students sometimes quite wrongly think that their teachers 

 are almost omniscient, not knowing that the lecturers usually 

 spend a considerable amount of time preparing their lectures, 

 and that outside the topic of the lecture their knowledge is often 

 much less impressive. Not only does the author of a text-book 

 not carry in his head all the information in the book, but the 

 author of a research paper not infrequently has to refer to the 

 paper to recall the details of the work which he himself did. 



The custom of having lunch and afternoon tea in groups at 

 the laboratory is a valuable one as it provides ample opportunities 

 for these informal discussions. In addition, slightly more formal 

 seminars or afternoon tea meetings at which workers present 

 their problems before and during, as well as after, the investiga- 

 tion are useful. Sharing of interests and problems among workers 

 in a department or institute is also valuable in promoting a 

 stimulating atmosphere in which to work. Enthusiasm is infectious 

 and is the best safeguard against the doldrums. 



Conditioned thinking 



Psychologists have observed that once we have made an error, 

 as for example in adding up a column of figures, we have a 



64 



