SCIENTIFIC METHOD 63 



will declare any of Nature's beckonings to be 

 unworthy of attention. 



COLLECTING DATA. The first step in beginning 

 the scientific study of a problem is to collect the 

 data, which are or ought to be "facts." And by 

 this we mean, in Prof. Taylor's words, "experiences 

 which we cannot altogether fashion as we please 

 to suit our own convenience, or our own sense of 

 what is fitting or desirable, but have largely to 

 accept as they come to us." As is often said, 

 "Facts_are chiels that winna^_ding" that is to 

 say, they cannot be coerced or denied, and they 

 are verifiable by all who have equal opportunities 

 and equipment for experiencing them. 



In the so-called "natural sciences" this collec- 

 tion of data implies observation, and much 

 depends on the degree of excellence which the 

 observer attains. The fundamental virtues are 

 clearness, precision, impartiality, and caution. 

 Common vices are rough and ready records, reli- 

 ance on vague impressions, acceptance of second- 

 hand evidence, and picking the facts that suit. 

 Since observers are fallible mortals, we readily 

 understand the importance of co-operation, of 

 independent observations on the same subject, 

 of instrumental means of increasing the range 

 and delicacy of our senses, and of automatic 

 impersonal methods of registration such as pho- 

 tography supplies. 



