Unseen Biases in Science

Juan de Jager from the Faculty of Arts shared his reflections on biases that science often overlooks. Biases can have various sources. They may stem directly from the technical and organizational limitations of an experiment. They may arise from the personal experiences and beliefs of the scientist conducting the experiment. And they are almost inevitably embedded in broader paradigms which, once widely accepted, constrain scientists within a particular mode of thinking.

Biases are not always obvious, and it's difficult to recognize our own. While we shouldn’t expect to eliminate them entirely, we can begin to pay more attention to them within scientific discourse and engage in open conversations about their presence.

Juan aims to explore how scientists’ life experiences and lifestyles influence their work. He plans to invite scientists from diverse backgrounds and conduct in-depth interviews with them. He is particularly interested in those who have experience with altered states of consciousness.