A Case Study of a Scientific Blunder. History and Philosophical Teachings
History and Philosophy of Physics
2021-06-02 v2
Abstract
In 1988, in cooperation with a team of experimental physicists, a Condensed Matter theorist, X, published in Physical Review Letters a crucial experimental result dealing with a revolutionary new theory. The conclusions of the paper were proved incorrect a few months later. I discuss the various factors -- scientific, instrumental, but also psychological, sociological ones -- which led to this blunder. I believe this story sheds some light on the process of scientific discovery, explanation, falsification, confirmation, and errors.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.2007.12849,
title = {A Case Study of a Scientific Blunder. History and Philosophical Teachings},
author = {Pascal Lederer},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2007.12849},
year = {2021}
}
Comments
The new version has 15 pages. I have changed significant