Elements Quote by Sam Kean
““For his part, Mendeleev scanned Lecoq de Boisbaudran’s data on gallium and told the experimentalist, with no justification, that he must have measured something wrong, because the density and weight of gallium differed from Mendeleev’s predictions. This betrays a flabbergasting amount of gall, but as science philosopher-historian Eric Scerri put it, Mendeleev always “was willing to bend nature to fit his grand philosophical scheme.” The only difference between Mendeleev and crackpottery is that Mendeleev was right: Lecoq de Boisbaudran soon retracted his data and published results that corroborated Mendeleev’s predictions.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean, 2010
Mendeleev dismissed contradictory data to protect his periodic table, showing how bias can distort scientific judgment.
In simple terms: Science can be swayed by personal belief.
Key Takeaway
Question assumptions and seek evidence.
Themes
science
bias
history
philosophy
Mood
critical
analytical
Type
philosophical
historical
When to use this quote
- laboratory research
- peer review
- data analysis
- theoretical modeling
Key Concepts
confirmation bias
paradigm protection
scientific method
Questions to Reflect On
- How do we guard against personal bias in research?
- What mechanisms ensure data integrity?
A Different Perspective
Bias can hinder progress if not checked.
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