How to use the scientific method for better conversations | Riley Lenihan | TEDxURI

Key Concepts:

• Pursuit of understanding vs. pursuit of truth
• Scientific method as a framework for conversations
• Observation, Hypothesis, Experimentation, Peer Review
• Beliefs as hypotheses
• Collaboration and adaptation in understanding

1. The Shift from Truth to Understanding:

• The speaker recounts a past obsession with being right and winning arguments, equating it with possessing the truth.
• Realization that winning arguments often led to losing relationships or questioning the importance of the argument itself.
• Proposition: Shift from pursuing the "truth" to pursuing "understanding" to foster connection.
• The speaker emphasizes that connection with people is what truly matters.

2. Science as an Unexpected Source of Wisdom:

• The speaker's background in biological sciences (STEM) initially seen as an escape from complexity due to its data-driven and logical nature.
• Realization that science, like life, is not absolute and that scientific "truths" are constantly refined.
• The speaker clarifies that she will not be dissecting the intricate methodologies of scientists with any actual technicality.
• The truth is not a fixed destination but an ongoing pursuit, a perspective borrowed from scientists.

3. The Scientific Method as a Conversational Framework:

• The scientific method is presented as a framework for improving conversations and relationships.
• The method is broken down into four essential steps: Observation, Hypothesis, Experimentation, and Peer Review.

4. Observation:

• In science: Recognizing a gap in knowledge.
• In conversation: Identifying tension or disagreement.
• The speaker notes that disagreement doesn't necessarily mean one person is right and the other is wrong, but rather that there is space to explore something.

5. Hypothesis:

• In science: An educated guess based on past opinions.
• In conversation: Treating beliefs and pre-formed opinions as hypotheses.
• Holding beliefs as testable hypotheses removes intense feelings and opens one up to new perspectives.

6. Experimentation:

• In science: Testing the hypothesis through repeated trials.
• In conversation: Engaging in conversations, listening to new perspectives, and potentially changing one's hypothesis.
• The speaker uses the example of lab experiments where initial assumptions are often proven wrong, leading to adjustments in the final report.
• The speaker suggests that if one finds that a close-held belief or hypothesis is no longer accurate, one should change their final opinion.

7. Peer Review:

• In science: Opening oneself up to public opinion and scrutiny.
• In conversation: Collaboration, experimentation, adaptation, and evolution of understanding.
• The speaker emphasizes that the truth is not found in isolation, and understanding is discovered through collaboration.

8. The Challenge of Uncertainty:

• Acknowledges that shifting to a pursuit of understanding requires rewiring the brain and is not easy.
• Historically, humans have created myths and stories to explain the unexplainable and avoid uncertainty.
• In the 21st century, the pursuit of certainty is dividing people.

9. Conclusion:

• Instead of seeking the truth, we need to be seeking each other.
• Adopting this perspective leads to a win-win situation in conversations.
• The pursuit of truth and the pursuit of understanding are not all that different.