IGN 12-1
Who needs theory?  Who needs empiricism?

Thursday, August 14, 2014
313, Sacramento Convention Center
Karen C. Abbott, Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH
We judge scientific ideas all the time: sometimes formally, such as when we serve as peer reviewers, but usually informally and perhaps subconsciously: when we read papers and listen to talks, we ask ourselves, “what’s worth taking away from this?”  Therein lies a judgment on the value of the ideas we just encountered.  So, which do you value more: theoretical ideas or empirical ones?  Which should you value more?  This talk introduces a session in which speakers approach these questions head-on.