The Missing Person In Science Cecily Selby Summary

Cecily Selby’s article “The Missing Person in Science- Inquiry Starts with I” published in 2013 aims to educate readers about the truth behind science and give more information about scientists. She argues that science suffers from severe misunderstandings, including how people are unaware of what scientists do as a result of the private nature of their job. Through her examples and descriptions of the different stages of the scientific process, Selby makes a call to action persuading the readers that society is in need of scientists to continue to uphold a democratic framework. Her intention is to lessen the stigma of science and its process. Selby uses quotes from distinguished people in history to propel her argument. For example, she uses a quote from Albert Einstein about the meaning of science to introduce the topic of scientific evidence. However, she discusses a more accurate way of describing scientific evidence by considering it as evidence that can be open to disproof. In other words, other disciplines such as theology can be proven wrong based on a matter of opinion, but with science, current theories cannot be liked or disliked until new evidence proves the

These skills include having experimental design, technical skills, and the curiosity to ask the right questions. Her claim is supported by describing how pioneers of science practiced these skills. For example, Fleming’s discovery of penicillin occurred unintentionally but it sparked experimentation. Another point made about experimentation is about how this stage can be considered a “scientist’s sculpture, symphony, and choreography.” This observation has parallels to Chamberlain’s 1890 Working Hypothesis in that once theory is adopted into society and becomes a ruling theory, it is the developer’s intellectual offspring depicting how connected a scientist can be to his or her