In October, an article entitled "How Science Goes Wrong" appeared in The Economist. The accompanying leader article made a rather compelling case that the centuries-old procedures that govern science – peer review, for example – aren't fit for purpose any more.
CERN Director-General Rolf Heuer responds in a piece entitled "Are scientists getting it wrong?" for Prospect magazine. Heuer argues that scientific procedures are evolving along with modern science. Science maintains a self-critical eye, he writes, that is essential for assessing results.
Heuer emphasises his point in a letter to The Economist. "Science is conscious of the pitfalls you point out and we’re addressing them," he writes. Read the articles at the links below.
Read more:
"How Science Goes Wrong" – The Economist, 19 October 2013
"On science, Puerto Rico, Parliament, soft drinks, investing in cows" – Rolf Heuer, letter to The Economist, 7 November 2013
"Are scientists getting it wrong?" – Rolf Heuer, Prospect magazine, 14 November 2013 (Registration needed)