occasion of this new edition, The Bold Documentalist offered in the Book Day tribute to all professionals in the information and documentation with entertaining reading of a text, which recently got my hands on a mysterious and casual, like most things in life. This is The magician and the scientist article written by an old acquaintance in this blog, Umberto Eco
is a short essay, very educational and recommended never to forget the importance of demonstration of the truth through experimentation and the scientific method to justify each of the claims that can be set in a report, or research work. On the other hand, having consulted the network, detect that a text is widespread and widely discussed, so I hope to bring something new. Without further ado, I present the full text:
The magician and the scientist
- ECO, Umberto. The reception of science by the public and the media. Rome: International Scientific Conference, 2002
We think we live in which Isaiah Berlin, identifying it in its youth, called the Age of Reason. Once finished the medieval darkness and started the Renaissance critical thinking and scientific thought itself, we believe that we live in an age dominated by science. Indeed, this vision and absolute predominance of the scientific mentality, which was announced so naively in the Hymn to Satan, Carducci, and more critically in the Communist Manifesto of 1848, more supportive of the reactionaries, the spiritualists, the laudator temporis acti, which scientists. Rather they are those who like fresh paint on an almost fantasy world, ignoring other values, is based only on trust in the truths of science and the power of technology.
Men today not only expect, but aim to get all of the technology and technology do not distinguish between destructive and productive technology. The child playing in the Wars on the computer using the mobile as a natural appendage of the fallopian tube, launches through Internet chats, live in the technology and can not conceive that there may have been a different world, a world without computers and even without telephones.
But not so with science. The media image confuse science with technology and pass on the confusion to users, who consider all that is scientific technology, in effect ignoring what the dimension of science itself, from that of the technology is of course an application and consequence, but certainly not the primary substance.
is technology that gives you everything right away, while science moves slowly. Virilio speaks of our age and the age dominated, I would say mesmerized by the speed, of course, we are in the era of speed. They had already understood to anticipate future and today we're used to going on three hours from Europe to New York with the Concorde, but not to use it, know it exists.
But not only that we are so used to the speed you get angry if the email does not download quickly or if the plane is delayed. But this being used to Technology has nothing to do with being used to science, but rather has to do with the timeless appeal of magic.
What was the magic, which has been over the centuries and what we will see, even today, albeit under a false appearance? The assumption that it could happen at once a cause and an effect of short, without completing the intermediate steps. Stick a pin in the statuette representing the enemy and he dies, I pronounce a formula and transform iron into gold, I call upon the angels and through them sent a message.
The magic ignores the long chain of causes and effects and, However, do not worry about establishing, testing and retesting, if there is a relationship between cause and effect. Hence its fascination, from primitive societies to our solar renaissance and beyond, to the plethora of occult sects ubiquitous Internet.
confidence, hope in the magic has not faded at all with the advent of experimental science. The desire of the simultaneity of cause and effect has been transferred to technology, it looks like the illegitimate daughter of science. How much has been that having to move from the first computers of the Pentagon, the Olivetti Elea as big as a room (took eight programmers months to prepare the enormous computer and it issued the notes to the tune The Bridge on the River Kwai, and were orgullosísimos), in our personal computer, where everything happens at a time?
technology that does everything to lose sight of the chain of causes and effects. The first users of the computer programmed in Basic, which was not the machine language, but foreshadowed the mystery (we, the first personal computer users, I do not know, but we knew that to force the chips to make a particular trip had give them a very difficult language instructions in a binary). Windows also has hidden Basic programming, the user presses a button and change the perspective, it comes in contact with a distant correspondent, gets the results of astronomical calculation, but I do not know what's behind them (and yet, there it is). The user computer technology live like magic.
may seem strange that this mind magic to survive in our era, but if we look around, it comes back triumphant everywhere. Today we are witnessing the revival of satanic cults, rites syncretistic cultural anthropologists before going to study in the Brazilian favelas, even shiver against the traditional religions success of these rites and compromise should not be talking to the people of the mystery of the Trinity and are more comfortable displaying the explosive action of the miracle. Theological thought we spoke and speaks of the mystery of the Trinity, but argued and argued to show that it is conceivable, or is unfathomable. The thought of the miracle shows us, however, the numinous, the sacred, the divine, which appears or is revealed by a charismatic voice and invited the masses to submit to this revelation (not the laborious argue theology).
would like to recall a line from Chesterton: "When men no longer believe in God, is not no longer believe in nothing: they believe in everything." What Science permeates through the media is, therefore, I regret to say, "only its magical aspect. When filtered, and when filtering is because it promises a miracle technology, "the pill that ...". There is sometimes a pactum sceleris between scientists and the media by which the scientist can not resist temptation, or considers it his duty, report an ongoing investigation, sometimes for reasons of fundraising, but lo research and discovery is reported immediately, resulting in disappointment when they discover that the outcome is not yet ready. The episodes are all familiar, from the announcement certainly premature to continuous cold fusion discovery prompts a panacea for cancer.
is difficult to tell the public that the investigation is made of hypotheses, control experiments, evidence of forgery. The debate that pits conventional medicine to alternative medicine is this: why people should believe in the promise of science remote when you have the impression of being the immediate result of alternative medicine? Recently, Garattini warned that when you take a medicine and healing is achieved in a short period, this is not yet proof that the drug is effective. There are still other two explanations: that the disease is transmitted by natural causes and the remedy has functioned only as a placebo, or even remission has been produced by natural causes and the remedy has been delayed. But try to raise the general public these two possibilities. The reaction is disbelief, because magical thinking is only a process, always triumphant cortocircutio between probable cause and the expected effect. At this point, we also realize what is happening and may happen to announce cuts in the form of research and public opinion is indifferent. It would be embarrassed if it had struck a hospital or increases the price of medicines but is not sensitive to the seasons long and costly investigation. At best, believe that cuts in research may lead to a nuclear scientist to emigrate to the U.S. (total, the atomic bomb have them) and do not realize that the cuts in research may also delay the discovery of a most effective drug for the flu, or an electric car, and not related to the cuts in research with cyanosis or polio, because the chain of causes and effects is long and mediate, not immediate, as in magical action.
will have seen the emergency chapter that Dr. Green announced a long line of patients not given antibiotics to those who are sick with the flu, it will not work. Insurrection charges emerged even with racial discrimination. The patient sees the relationship between antibiotic and healing magic, and the media have said that the antibiotic cure. Everything is limited to this short. The tablet of antibiotic is a technological product and as such, discoverable. Investigations into the causes and remedies for flu are things in college. I have outlined a scenario troubling and disappointing, also because it is easier for the government man himself think like the man in the street and not like the man in the laboratory. I was able to draw this picture because it is a fact, but I'm not able to outline the remedy.
is futile to ask the media to leave the magical mentality: they are facing not merely for reasons that call for a hearing today, but because of such magic is also the nature of the relationship are required to make daily between cause and effect. Exist and have existed, indeed, loved promoters, but also in those cases the title (fatally tabloid) gives greater value to the content of the article and the explanation of how it is prudent even beginning an investigation to the final vaccine against all appear fatally flu as the triumphant announcement that the flu has finally been eradicated (why science? No, of triumphant technology, to be brought to market a new pill). How to behave in front of the scientist's pressing questions the media will run daily on promises miraculous? With caution, of course, but does not work, we have seen. And he can not declare a news blackout on any scientific research because the public is by its very nature.
I think we should go back to school desks. It is up to school, and all initiatives substitute to the school, including Internet sites safe credibility, slowly educating young people for a correct understanding of scientific procedures. The job is harder, because also the knowledge transmitted by schools is often deposited in memory as a sequence of miraculous episodes: Madame Curie, who returns home one afternoon, and from a stain on paper, discovers radioactivity, Dr. Fleming, glancing absently at a little moss and discover penicillin, Galileo, which is swinging a lamp and it seems that suddenly discovers everything, including that the Earth spins, so we forget, in front of his legendary ordeal, that not even he was found depending on which curve rotated, and we had to wait for Kepler.
How can we expect from the school proper scientific information when even today, in many manuals and books even respectable, we read that before Columbus people thought the Earth was flat, while it is a falsehood historical, since it already knew the ancient Greeks, and even the scholars of Salamanca who opposed the voyage of Columbus, simply because they made more accurate estimates than yours on the actual size of the planet? And yet, one of the missions of the wise, besides the serious, disclosure is also lit.
And yet, if you have to impose a non-magical image of science, should not wait for the media, whom you should be gradually built into the collective consciousness, starting with the youngest .
controversial conclusion of my speech is that the alleged prestige it enjoys today the scientist is based on false grounds, and is in any case contaminated by the combined influence of the two forms of magic, traditional and technological that still fascinates the mind of the majority. If not get out of this cycle of false promises and dashed hopes, science itself will have a more difficult to perform.
and behold morning newspapers talk of this conference you but, fatally, the picture that comes out will be even magical. Should we be surprised? We continue slaughtering as in the dark ages fundamentalism and fanaticism swept away by uncontrollable proclaim cross continents dying from famine and AIDS, while we represent our televisions (magically) as a land of plenty, and bring upon our beaches are desperate to our suburbs damaged as sailors from other eras to the promises of Eldorado, "and should reject the simple idea that does not yet know what science is and confuse it with magic, along with the fact that, for unknown reasons, you may send a declaration of love for Australia at the cost of a local call and the speed Ray?
is useful to continue working each in his own field, knowing the world we live in, to draw conclusions, become as wise as the serpent and not so naive as the dove, but at least as generous as the pelican and invent new ways to give something of you whom I ignored.
In any case, most of all beware of those who honor you as if you were the source of truth. In fact, I consider a magician, however, if it does not immediately verifiable impact will be considered a charlatan, while the magic effects that are impossible to verify, but effective, will be honored at the talk. And, therefore, do not go, or you identify with them. Let me return to a theme about judicial and political debate: Resist, resist, resist. And good job.
Documentation and scientific magic
The magician and the scientist is a summary of the essay that Umberto Eco made in the context of an international scientific conference, will now something over five years. Like then one can still see the trend in social thought and conception of science and technology. It is quite right to define magic as the effect occurs for the immediate achievement of certain ends that would be unimaginable before or very difficult to achieve. In this way the technology is an essential component, invisible and in fact, possible to overcome the barriers and obstacles of nature and becoming aware of things. Therefore, in this review, will seek to define the concept of science, technology and magic and its implications in the Documentation.
Science
There are many definitions conjugated by many authors and theorists throughout history, showing in all cases the same ingredients search, inquiry, study and experimentation by intellectual activities organized by a systematic, evidence of what is true and in any case real, verifiable and quantifiable. Consequently, science is a collection actions, methods and studies that apply inexorably to solve a particular problem, raised in an area of \u200b\u200bknowledge. That is why science has as its primary objective demonstration and explanation of the phenomena surrounding this problem, making it his place of work and study, ie their research subject.
Investigator
The figure of the researcher is the person who exercises an activity undertaken to discover or rediscover the reality that revolves around an object of study. This entails the use of observation techniques, analysis of the gray literature and therefore the documentary technique, measurement and quantification techniques, hypothesis testing and all that may be capable of being framed or attached to an empirical method mainly dominated by the reason. The result of the researcher's work is the creation of new scientific knowledge that is based on the foundations many other researchers, as he tried in his time. This idea is not new and has already been expressed by Paul Otlet and La Fontaine, and most theorists and researchers in the documentation along the twentieth century to today. This means Research and assumed as the result of an intellectual process based and based on existing knowledge and previously derived and demonstrated. Put another way, science progresses through the accumulation of knowledge that researchers and provide a cyclical basis is studied, discussed, argued, tested and subsequently ratified, expanded or rectified. The result of the determination method and technique on which to base a study aims to turn the outcome and ensure that the researcher provides solutions that can be reproduced as many times as needed, as the maximum guarantee its accuracy.
Technology The technology concept is largely quoted by Umberto Eco, is the great heart of the problems and confusion with science and research from a social standpoint. In fact, technology is one of the origins of the magic that breaks into the mentality of its users and recipients. In this regard, one should remember the social function of science as a basis for progress and improvements in quality of life of people. In any If science, as implied in the earlier trial, is what makes possible the development of the technology for better telecommunications, transportation, materials, tools, equipment and consumption. Therefore, at this point how could define technology?
Technology is all technical and practical implementation has been embodied in a tangible and quantifiable tool which acts according to specifications defined by a particular line of scientific research, ensuring its effectiveness and performance in a given environment. That is, the technology is the result of exploration, experimentation and construction or building case studies and scenarios that come to provide a solution to a problem, evaluated from an empirical point and rephrasing as many times as necessary to reach a solution that meets the expectations that were created to solve.
about magic and its involvement in the Science and Technology
Everything discussed so far, trying to clarify, illuminate or illustrate what science, technology and scientific methodology can be known. Having bounded these ideas, it is easier to attack and unravel the confusion and misuse or problems that are often both the vocabulary as with cases that can be found, is the moment of magic or the ambiguity and confusion.
is remarkable as cited in numerous cases, almost morbid fascination with modern man and technology as a tool that solves the most basic and complex to which each could face life in normal and professional. Such is the perfection obtained in such products sometimes forget their origin, providing in many cases almost magical powers because without doubt they are not understood. This phenomenon makes special mention of the complexity of the technique and ultimately the level of research involved in each solution applied. Unambiguously reflects of a Science increasingly incomprehensible and in which man is only very few parcels owned. It happens that the man was no longer unfortunately, a being Garcilaso, referring to Garcilaso de la Vega as Renaissance man and global knowledge and therefore covered. Overshooting yet still effective, means the concatenation of many professionals and researchers who work and struggle, not only to expand existing knowledge, but to find new links between different areas of knowledge, to integrate better knowledge of each discipline. For these reasons enormous scientific production, as well as meteoric progress in some sectors such as IT, electronic or logic, have led to the familiar concept of super-professional and scientific. These facts have an impact on a society that is highly segmented in terms of scientific knowledge and even referred to in terms of training. The logical consequence of this is real and the use of technological applications from shortcuts that facilitate the objective of each user. This explains why the user not necessarily familiar with the operation of the application of technology, much less the foundation or scientific laws that govern or regulate the solution you are using that, incidentally, very few specialists can come to know. In this area is unknown, does suggest a return to the concept of mythology and hence the development of a modern scientific mythology.
And it is the concept of modern scientific mythology, leading to later raise those cases are not investigated, but rather de-investigated. The results of this reactionary process is pseudo-science. Those that take advantage of the huge amounts of established facts and anonymous, added a solution without proof or scientific breakthrough or without accompanying methodological basis to substantiate their claims. The road to perdition scientific researcher becomes alleging that Umberto Eco called a charlatan or a magician who tries to convey a partial truth to achieve a profit in terms of recognition, prestige or fees, as may be conceived.
fit in all this mess, and caseloads that multiple readings may also help define a picture or unfavorable environment for true scientific creation. This brings us to the analysis of the conditions in which new scientific knowledge are produced: 1) noted that the research environment must be suitable, stable employment and economically, 2) research requires adequate physical space and time, 3) Any investigation requires documentary means and tools to facilitate in any case the analysis of the existing scientific literature or gray. In conclusion of the foregoing, science requires a serious investment in both financial resources and materials, as in the time required for appropriate solutions to problems in research. It is regrettable to note those cases in which scientific publication could become a sport not because of real research, but rather as a factory that churns out in order to achieve economic stability and employment. Because of these critical pressures, researchers are forced to produce more and more rapidly, at a pace that may seem magical and in some cases can lead to errors of form, method and even in very tragic and shameful, falsification of evidence that is supposed to be shown in scientific studies.
therefore important part of scientific fraud and research is derived directly from the researchers, but also indirectly, induced and decisive in those policies and development plans that address research and science from a manufacturing standpoint, production indiscriminately, without regard to human considerations and more quantifiable quality of life of the groups involved in the research process. This means that the lack of investment in research and education results in lower quality scientific production. Although it requires the achievement of a publication extraordinary dimensions, the result is the appearance of redundant content, in many cases lack of motivation required for each discipline to create real progress in each subject. So the logical consequence of this chain of events, is the scientific stagnation and blocking the development of a country.
Having said that, a real consequence of this stupidity is investigating the need for further research on third that on purpose, to verify its authenticity and therefore trustworthiness. If Although this mechanism study of literature above is required in any serious study, is not always carried out in a tacit form in each new investigation, which is complex in many cases to use sources of scientific information really accurate. For this reason even today is still advising the use of those sources which have suffered a long critical-constructive to avoid the least number of mistakes and thus respond to the so-called scientific truth from facts reproducible.
and Scientific Documentation
From the general to the particular, is the method that is applied in this commentary and for this reason once defined the concept of science, technology, and analyzed in some cases problematic aspects related to magic, will try to explain the scientific and technological contribution to the documentation in the most sterile and concise as possible.
Documentation as science considers the study of the information contained in the documents, as well as those methods, techniques and processes that facilitate the description, representation, processing, retrieval, organization and transformation for better circulation, control and management in society in both institutions for people who produce it to those who consume it. In this first approach, we should bear in mind the principle of any document, any information or any week that makes up the word. The foundation of documentation are the ideas and concepts that humans have been able to represent it throughout history in many different materials. So, they are works of art documents, the clay tablets and clay, general and specialized literature and any human expression that has undergone a process of talent, study, research or search for the remains and harmonization of the reality that our senses are able to grasp. Therefore, the documentation is heir to the intellectual process inasmuch as he is able to provide readable elements, and similar abstraibles made a reality or not, and their construction and combination from previous ones.
But not to confuse the reader with these interpretations, at least to investigate and understand the visions provided by other authors, since it is not the only or the last definition can be released from a term as rich and Documentation yet so complicated. In fact one of the objectives pursued in this article is no doubt stoke the critical and scientific spirit of the reader.
With the precedents already established and preliminary, Documentation is fully involved in the advancement of scientific research, this is because it facilitates information that each discipline or area of \u200b\u200bknowledge required, passing it as quickly and efficiently as possible. In the case of the Research Documentation Documentation lines cutting-edge research trying to solve problems of analysis bibliographic citation in scientific publications, organization of information sources and increasingly possible technical applications or tools that help the classification, cataloging, description, processing, analysis and retrieval information and documentation from a digital environment in the network of networks, the most popular web or internet. This latter consideration of tools, links the main issue discussed in this article, the known technology. The technology involved in the documentation is in many cases the implementation of a concept previously designed and programmed by computer. This means that the documentation is based on information technology to develop those technologies that enable and facilitate all functions and activities described above. This support can be considered as auxiliary science of other sciences, as well as the documentation it is as a means in itself to all scientific disciplines of the experimental area, pure or humanistic, complementing the activities that each one is put into effect.
This also leads to the consideration of computer magic and techniques which Hammurabi code uncontrollable fascination aroused so intangible that it is the possession of knowledge to interpret it. In this fatuous fact, the technology takes hold professional archivist or researcher, being at their mercy and limiting it to the rules and clauses in the schedule shall be as directly applied and proven true. It is in this conflict, where the researcher documents most experimental, must be aware that their area of \u200b\u200bknowledge by determining the laws and processes that act on the information and therefore be owner know how to manage knowledge. Therefore research should be directed in part to the models and ways of processing information and documentation. This involves providing the idea or ideas represented by ideographic-demonstration methods, descriptive and empirical facilitate the subsequent preparation of a technological application as if the instructions of Leonardo Da Vinci was treated. This paragraph is to say, what the general reader and the bold documentary believes it means, the computer has to be supportive documentation as for many other sciences, not cannibalize the powers that each source has. This is achieved by inventing and investigating a common language, readable and understandable for both professionals and computer documentation. In this aspect may lie the key to understanding not only of competence in both areas of knowledge, but the collaboration of computing as auxiliary science of documentation that can generate all the technological applications that were conceived and investigated from the documentation.
is curious to see the documentation for the importance of technology, but would further interesting to note the amount of auxiliary sciences which may be involved in an investigation of quantum physics or other object of study and research. Statistics such as fundamental branch of mathematics to the study of physical variables acting on the quantum theory, the documentation as a science assistant who facilitates and determines the basic information that is used when conducting research on physics , which determines what other authors have defined the concepts being addressed and if the number of auxiliary sciences were not enough, we must add the computer which analyzes telemetry of quantum phenomena and processing of data from each observation in databases and reports that have a documentary treatment.
All this should give pause to any reader to unravel the complexity of today's research and the importance of creating true interdisciplinary research groups to achieve more ambitious goals, which ultimately translate into contributions invisible but tangible from the point of view of technological realization
