I love physics. Why? No one says it better than the stimulating Paul Davies.
Physics is the most pretentious of the sciences, for it purports to address all of physical reality. The physicist may confess ignorance about a particular system – a snowflake, a living organism, a weather pattern – but he will never concede that is lies outside the domain of physics in principle. (The New Physics).
I would cite three underlying reasons for my devotion:
1. The domain of interest is indeed universal.
2. Many principles are yet undiscovered, some of them fundamental.
3. Physics is quantifiable, objective, and exact, certainly not to the logical precision of mathematics, but overwhelmingly objective as opposed to subjective. (Physics is objective, art is subjective.)
The quote by Paul Davies applies not just to all physicists, but to many technologists as well. Technologists are curious about everything and stimulated by the unknown. They love a good argument.
The problem I address today is that although their domain of interest might be broad and universal, their domain of knowledge is not. For example, Albert Einstein was arguably the greatest physicist since Isaac Newton (and the only physicist most people can name). Einstein wrote letters and made speeches after WWII advocating that a supranational judiciary and executive body be formed to decide questions of security for the individual nations. (Source) Einstein was a great physicist and a genius of science. Did that also make him knowledgeable in world affairs and in the management of nations? Probably not, but his scientific accomplishments falsely implied expertise in other, unrelated areas.
(Keep in mind that Einstein was never a believer in the interpretation of quantum mechanics, probably the most proven theory we have today: so being a genius does not necessarily make you right, even in your own field, much less outside.)
I see this same problem today with luminaries like Steven Hawking. Often, otherwise brilliant physicists and technologists step totally outside their domain of knowledge to express their opinions about social issues, God, or philosophy, for example. These subjects are of universal interest, but the scientist rarely has invested comparable time and research to be an authority on them. Domain interest does not imply domain knowledge. Yet, the populace takes these statements and uses the luminary as authority for advancing private agendas. Clearly, you would not permit a famous astronomer’s opinion on hematology, for example, to outweigh that of an equally educated physician. Yet, the mismatch is often foisted as authority in even more diverse fields like science and religion.
I object to this transfer of authority and so will an audience of decision makers when you present your technology ideas to them. Decision makers are not the local press. Decision makers in industry form a quick assessment of your expertise and its domain.
Thus, in making a technology presentation, the technologist must avoid areas that are outside his domain of knowledge. I posit four elements to confirm in your presentations:
1. Stick to the facts, the experiment, and the data you have. Do not drift.
2. Keep the subject manageable. Do not broaden it into a topic that cannot be covered in the time allotted.
3. Make rational conclusions based on the data at hand. Do not wander into mine fields of controversy about which you have no supporting data and only incomplete knowledge. If you do not know, then say you do not know. A common error is to let your enthusiasm drift into unsupportable statements like, “the window of opportunity is closing, everyone will want to buy this, the company will make a lot of money, we can have this finished by the end of the month,” and so on. If you do not have substantiating data such as pro forma, market analyses, or program schedules, do not make such unfounded statements.
4. Do not use your scientific presence as a platform and soap box to advocate opinions outside your domain of knowledge. It is perfectly acceptable to advance ideas. It is perfectly unacceptable to advance them from an unsubstantiated, unrelated platform.
Follow these rules and you will be on your way to becoming The Persuasive Wizard.