Scientific Attitude

Prof. Afshar's experiment reminded me of what George Polya wrote about scientific attitude in one of his books (Mathematics and Plausible Reasoning). He mentions “intellectual courage” which means we are ready to revise our long held beliefs, “intellectual honesty” which means we change our belief when we see compelling evidence to change it, and “wise restraint” which means we do not change our mind without serious examination. These values constitute what he calls basic moral values of a scientist, and I think everyone can benefit from carrying these values into their lives, scientist or not.