tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12753102.post6093292947689781185..comments2024-03-28T15:41:37.170-04:00Comments on Ben's Journal: 5 Life Lessons from a Photography DebateBen Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09833753747177544979noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12753102.post-4942038368354138462012-05-03T21:47:18.436-04:002012-05-03T21:47:18.436-04:00TechNeilogy, that's really well explained - th...TechNeilogy, that's really well explained - thanks.Ben Simonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09833753747177544979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12753102.post-50439772641018913862012-04-30T11:15:15.001-04:002012-04-30T11:15:15.001-04:00#4 reminds me of something I stress at engineering...#4 reminds me of something I stress at engineering meetings:<br /><br />At an engineering meeting, agreement is bad and disagreement is good. Because when disagreement is missing, you can be sure something is being overlooked.<br /><br />It's the same basic adversarial process that acts to keep science and politics healthy. <br /><br />The problem, of course, is that there are always players who can't keep the thing objective. They perceive an attack on their engineering (or policy) choice as a personal attack. These people are not fun to work with long term, but they can often be brought round with careful handling and an explanation of the scientific process.<br /><br />I remember I first became aware of this at a scientific conference at which I was working as an undergraduate intern. One particular scientist presented a paper, and during the question and answer period, another scientist in the audience attacked the paper tooth and nail. It basically devolved into a red-faced near shouting match. "Wow," I thought "these guys must really hate each other!" That is, I though that until I later passed them in the hallway, where they were joking, laughing, and discussing where they were going to go for lunch. And I had one of those "Aha!" moments: ideas deserve conflict, even when they are the ideas of a friend and colleague.TechNeilogyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06377881138289568562noreply@blogger.com