You should always be thinking like a scientist
The concept of "thinking like a scientist" stems from Adam Grants book Think Again by Adam Grant, where he describes us falling into three different professions: BN - Think Again – The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know (Adam Grant)
A scientist is always curious and never assumes he knows everything about any given topic. He asks a lot of questions and doubts his own ideas and models. This profession stands in stark contrast to the Preacher, Prosecutor or Politician.
Slipping into the role of a scientist can be used when engaging in discussion topics but also in the interaction with people in general. He argues that, especially with people who have opposing views, it is important to think like you know nothing about why the person arrived at that opinion. Rather we should think of it like a scientific challenge ("Oh what an interesting specimen! Let's discover it and how it arrived here.")
Takeaways
- Assume you know nothing.
- Ask questions instead of stating facts.
- Rethinking is a basic tool of the scientist.
- It is also more than a profession as it is like a mental model and a way of thinking.
- Look at things “through scientist goggles”
- Scientists are not perfect though as they fall back into the three professions sometimes
The cycle of rethinking
- Intellectual humility - Knowing what we don’t know
- Doubt arises
- That leads to curiosity
- Which reinforces humility
This cycle is sometimes hindered by our biases and reluctance to change.
Real-World Examples
- Negative example: Blackberry and the demise against the iPhone (sticking to the own views and strategies, not rethinking)
- Steve Jobs was stubborn, but he also knew that there is no upside to being wrong