Testing the Limits of the Scientific Method
In his article, The Truth Wears Off (December 5, 2010), Jonah Lehrer makes the troubling point that the effectiveness and even the validity of the scientific method has been increasingly called into question in recent years as researchers encounter unexpected and frequently inexplicable results from their studies. Not only have researchers been experiencing problems in replicating their findings, the strength of their initial findings has been declining as the research process progresses. In addition, Lehrer also claims that some previously proven theories that have widespread influence are being disproven despite the use of scientifically accepted research methods.
Although some of these outcomes can be attributed to the operation of the regression to the mean statistical analyses that produce a more robust picture, these trends have been taking place in a wide range of fields of study and researchers are concerned that their reliance on the tried-and-true scientific...
Likewise, as noted above, Lehrer points out that researchers are struggling to why they produce significant results at the outset of an experiment but the strength of these results continues to decline over time. In other words, some researchers have found...
…that our experiments define the truth for us. But thats often not the case. When the experiments are done, we still have to choose what to believe. In other words, it is not necessarily the scientific method that is limited but rather the manner in which the results of scientific research are achieved and published that is at fault. These findings mean that while international relations research that desires to be empirical must rely on
empirical evidence, it must also take into account the unstated potential limitations and constraints that were involved in order to make an informed decision concerning its relevance…
