Errors with trials

五月 7, 1999

Daniel Dennett's faith in the power of evolution goes too far ("Mind over matter", THES, April 30). In an article on "making mistakes" in How Things Are, he states his view even more explicitly: "Whatever the question or design problem is ... the only way to come up with the answer is to take some creative leaps in the dark and be informed by the results". Progress by trial and error should be avoided where possible. The main point of fundamental scientific research is to establish principles that are timeless and can be used to calculate future events (as well as explain past ones) and hence get designs near enough "right first time". Fortunately, Dennett is not designing bridges or aircraft.

John Sparkes Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire.

请先注册再继续

为何要注册?

  • 注册是免费的,而且十分便捷
  • 注册成功后,您每月可免费阅读3篇文章
  • 订阅我们的邮件
注册
Please 登录 or 注册 to read this article.