Sink or swim
"Here the balance of “inductive inquiry” (I2) and “hypothesisdriven” (HD) approaches becomes the
crux.The I2 approach, in its most pure form, entails adventure into uncharted territories—neither guided nor bridled by hypothesis. The HD approach is built on scholarship and smarts and is fundamentally driven by theory. If X and Y facts are understood, this knowledge should facilitate the hypothesis essential for solving the unknown Z. Scientists, just like most people, are far more comfortable with the known than the unknown. If one can embark on an adventure with known variables in pocket, the comfort factor alone will nudge the endeavor in favor of the HD direction….Bottom line, conventional wisdom almost always prevails—this, I advise, is something you will have to constantly fight in order to carve out a truly innovative career in science….Any research endeavor we might choose to pursue is, of course, an I2/HD blend. As articulated by Charles Darwin,
“Let theory guide your observations,” otherwise one “might as well go into a gravel pit and count the pebbles and describe the colors….Does science feel like a job, or is it the case that vocation matches
avocation, such that you can’t wait to get to the lab, such that it does not feel like work at all? If so, nothing can stop you and may you indeed “stay, forever young.”"
___from Mcknight SL. Unconventional wisdom, Cell, 2009,138,817
