The Science of Discovery (Why do scientists so rarely make breakthroughs)

Why Are Breakthroughs So Rare?

Everything scientists do is intended to lead to discoveries. No coincidence, we reward scientists who make meaningful discoveries with things like the Nobel Prize. Clearly, discoveries are the universal holy grail of science. Yet strangely, close to 100% of scientific efforts fail to discover anything. Why? And why does no one ever mention this?

This is not to say scientists discover nothing, let alone nothing meaningful. Every life on this planet is better because of science's advancements. Moreover, scientists themselves are some of the brightest, most amazing people. So how do we explain their close to perfect record of failures?

In part, this book will explore this mystery-why the current scientific method so rarely succeeds. This book will claim the problem lies not with scientists but rather, with their method. But what if scientists had a method which enabled them to make discoveries every time out?

In the opening chapters, this book will describe what such a method would need to be like. We'll then test this method on everything from sleep problems and weight loss issues to the nature of deafness, cancer, meditation, and learning the times tables. Can we possibly discover anything new? Prepare to be amazed.