The document discusses several key attitudes and values of scientists, including: - Being open-minded and willing to modify or discard hypotheses when evidence calls for it - Preferring empirical evidence over opinions and making observations directly when possible - Defining terms clearly and making as few assumptions as possible - Subjecting their own theories and ideas to rigorous intellectual criticism and peer review - Valuing cooperation and teamwork in scientific research

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6. “A scientist tries hard not to form an
opinion on a given issue until he has
investigated it, because it is so hard to give
up opinion already formed, and they tend to
make us find facts that support the
opinions… There must be however, a
willingness to act on the best hypothesis
that one has time or opportunity to form.”

10. With the telescope,
he discovered the
craters of the
Earth’s moon, the
moons of Jupiter,
and sunspots.

11. A good scientist starts by defining terms,
making all assumptions very clear, and
reducing necessary assumptions to the
smallest number possible. Often we want
scientists to make broad statements about a
complex world. But usually scientists are
very specific about what they “know” or will
say with certainty: “When these conditions
hold true, the usual outcome is such-and-
such.”

16. Free from prejudice and
receptive to new ideas.
An open-minded person is
the one who can modify plans
or discard hypotheses if it is
necessary.

19. A scientist did not
convert to just any new idea,
but accepted a model that
matched reality better. He
would never have considered
holding to an opinion just
because it was associated with
his name.

23. Empiricism
A scientist prefers to “look and see.” You do not
argue about whether it is raining outside–just stick a
hand out the window. Underlying this is the belief that
there is one real worldfollowing constant rules in nature,
and that we can probe that real world and buildour
understanding–it will not change on us. Nor does the
real world depend upon our understanding–we do not
“vote” on science.

26. They had to work on thousands
kilograms of uranium ore to get
a tenth of a gram of pure radium.

28. Showing the use of
imagination to create new
ideas or things
Disciplined intellectual
criticism that combines
research, knowledge, and
balanced judgment

30. Albert Einstein
was able to
derive his theory
of relativity
because he went
beyond what was
given and known
that time.

31. He saw links and
connections where
others did not. He
looked at the thing s
from different
perspectives and
aspects.

35. John Dalton’s theory was backed by
experimental evidence. He was not the
first to propose that the atom was the
smallest particle of matter.

36. But the first person to
use experimental
evidence to support the
theory.

37. Correlations do not prove cause-
and-effect, but some pseudoscience
arises when a chance occurrence is
taken as “proof.” Individuals who insist
on an all-or-none world and who have
little experience with statistics will
have difficulty understanding the
concept of an event occurring by
chance.

38. Governed by, or showing evidence of, clear and
sensible thinking judgment based on reason rather
than emotion.
Endowed with the ability to reason, as opposed to
being governed solely by instinct.

40. Because of his rational decisions, he
is successful in his reasearches like
the cytoplasmic inheritance of
hypersensitivity to a disease in
maize.

41. Nearly all statements make
assumptions of prior
conditions. A scientist often
reaches a dead end in research
and has to go back and
determine if all the
assumptions made are true to
how the world operates.

43. Aversion to Superstition and an
Automatic Preference for Scientific
Explanation.

44. Cooperation
Ease at working with
others on a team
Supporting and
assisting others to
complete a certain

45. ATTITUDES AND VALUES
OF A SCIENTIST
CRITICAL THINKING

47. REFERENCEs:
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Attitudes_and_valu
es_of_a_good_scientist#ixzz1zPFMQvj8
(http://www.ksu.edu/biology/pob/modern_atti
tudes.html)
From the Rational Enquirer, Vol 3, No. 3, Jan 90.