Skip to main content

📰 Summary (use your own words)

The author frames all problems into strong-linked or weak-linked and argues that we are treating science like a weak-linked problem when it shouldn't be. Because the best science drives progress and weak science doesn't matter in the end. So we shouldn't create barriers and make it hard for risky or cutting edge science to get funded.

✍️ Notes

  • Strong-link problems
    • problems where the overall quality depend on how good the best stuff is
    • music is a strong-link problem
    • olympics is a strong-link problem
    • friendship is a strong-link problem
    • investment is a strong-link problem
    • it is harder to spot than weak-link problems
  • Weak-link problems
    • problems where the overall quality depend on how good the weak stuff is
    • FDA focuses on the minimizing the health issue from problematic food
    • engine is a weak-link problem
  • Solving strong-link problem
    • increase outliers
    • don't gatekeep
    • ignore the worst
    • improve the best
    • accept risk since downside does not matter
    • inverse for weak-link problem
  • Science is a strong-link problem, and we are still in the dark-ages just less dark than before
    • best stuff is all that matters
    • people treat science as a weak-link problem
    • spend 15,000 collective year effort to prevent bad research from being published
    • terrible solution for a strong-link problem
  • Scientist act like science is a weak-link problem
    • fear: academic jobs, prestigious journals are cutthroat and you want to stick to low-risk ideas
    • status: we want to prevent bad research because it is cheating
  • Missing strong-link
    • US spends 10x more on science today than it did in 1956
    • yet science is less disruptive

    Today I wouldn't get an academic job. It's as simple as that. I don't think I would be regarded as productive enough - Peter Higgs

    • There are lots of these examples
  • If we purge all the terrible at the cost of terrific, and all you're left with is the mediocre
    • We are constantly making calls like this, we need to be more careful
    • The terrible study that gets published sounds like nails on a chalkboard, but the terrific study that gets no funding sounds like nothing at all