Abstract
AMONG the many stimulating ideas elaborated by Sir Peter Medawar in his Presidential Address1 to Section D of the British Association, for the Advancement of Science is the claim that the foundation and subsequent development of what has come to be known as ‘ethology’ have “demonstrated the sterility of the old experimental approach” of test-stimulus and response, and illustrate “the danger of doing experiments in the Baconian style; that is to say, the danger of contriving ‘experiences’ intended merely to enlarge our general store of empirical knowledge rather than to sustain or confute a specific hypothesis or pre-supposition”.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
References
Nature, 207, 1327 (1965).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
WIGHTMAN, W. Ethology and the ‘Baconian’ Method. Nature 208, 918 (1965). https://doi.org/10.1038/208918b0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/208918b0
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.