No. 252 · Evidence · Equations
Scientific Method
Let evidence, not authority or wishful thinking, decide what you believe.
In the Almanac
“Pasteur’s swan-neck flasks”, 1859 · “Booking.com”, 2010s
Both stories in full, three ways to use it and where it misleads.
Get the AlmanacQuestions
What is Scientific Method?
The scientific method is a loop: observe, form a hypothesis, design a test that could prove you wrong, analyse the results, and refine. Its strength is that it lets evidence overrule authority and wishful thinking.
How do you use Scientific Method?
Apply it to everyday choices by changing one variable at a time, tracking the results honestly, and being willing to drop ideas that fail. Most experiments won't work, and that's how you learn.
When does Scientific Method matter?
Scientific Method is one of the 68 mental models for evidence, the situations where you ask: Is this really true? Within that, it belongs to “Testing a claim”, alongside False Negative, False Positive and Falsification.
What is an example of Scientific Method?
Two stories show it at work: Pasteur’s swan-neck flasks (1859) and Booking.com (2010s). Both are told in full in The Mental Models Daily Almanac, which has two stories for each of its 365 models.
Which mental models are related to Scientific Method?
Hypothesis, Falsification and Post Mortem. Scientific Method itself comes from equations.