Collins Lab Blog

Am I being a curmudgeon?

I was recently sitting in on a student’s qualifying exam as a committee member. When the committee asked the student a question, the student would often begin the answer by saying “I believe that . . .”

To me this was interesting, because I associate the word “believe” with “belief” which has a religious meaning; a statement that does not require evidence because belief is sufficient. Science is all about the evidence and what can be deduced solely on the basis of the physical data.

So, rather than “I believe that . . . “,  it would be preferable to answer a scientific question with a phrase like:

I conjecture that . . . . . .

Extrapolating from previous results, I think that . . . . . .

I hypothesize that . . . . . .

My best guess is . . . . . .

My opinion is that . . . . . .

In my judgment . . . . . .

The data suggests that . . . . . .

It is always a challenge to come up with the precise language to accurately describe scientific experiments, data and ideas.

Training and practice are key here however I did wonder if I was being curmudgeonly when I went to a meeting a week later where I heard a brilliant scientist, whose work is impeccable, answer a question he was asked with the rejoinder “I believe that . . . .”!

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