James Evans from Sociology Dept. of UChicago will be talking about Collective Cognition and The Selction of Scientific Ideas. His focus on “essential tension between a professional demand for productivity and a conflicting drive toward risky innovation” is something that I always perceived as a huge factor in science. Yes, the problem is big and real, and someone should speak up. “Research following a risky strategy is more likely to be ignored but also more likely to achieve high impact and recognition” – Yes, we all know that, and this statement doesn’t need extra comments or justification. What is really alarming is the result of his study: “we find that high-risk behaviors, which explore new chemical relationships, are decreasingly prevalent in the literature, reflecting a growing focus on established knowledge at the expense of new opportunities”… The lecture: Oct 9, 7 pm, DeLuca Forum, WID

(Oct. 8, 2013)