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Scientists are supposed to presume the null hypothesis | blogjou

Daniel S. Milo

Good Enough - The Tolerance for Mediocrity in Nature and Society

p. 123
04 Nov 2023

Scientists are supposed to presume the null hypothesis


The trouble is that biologists consider function rather than neutrality as the default state. They presume significance - selection - rather than chance, which in this case is mostly drift. This stance is unscientific. Scientists are supposed to presume the null hypothesis, which roughly postulates that every relationship is the result of chance unless proved otherwise. The burden of proving significance weighs on the scientist except in evolutionary biology, where significance is the starting point. In this field, the burden of proof lies with whoever argues that chances determines the emergence, morphology, and size of a particular trait.