Limits of the scientific method

[firecat]

"The Truth Wears Off: Is there something wrong with the scientific method?" by Jonah Lehrer

...all sorts of well-established, multiply confirmed findings have started to look increasingly uncertain. It’s as if our facts were losing their truth: claims that have been enshrined in textbooks are suddenly unprovable. This phenomenon doesn’t yet have an official name, but it’s occurring across a wide range of fields, from psychology to ecology.

Comments

Re: Limits of the scientific method

[firecat]

What's not to love?

Giving patients a placebo without their knowledge is sometimes not to love, IMO. But recent studies suggest that the placebo effect might work even when no deception is involved. That's promising.

It would be pretty cool if we could figure out how the placebo effect works.