I see a lot of articles out there giving advice in the form of a list of rules. People have a fascination with rule lists. You’ve got the rules of Fight Club, the writer who uses a personal formula, policemen who follow “The Book” to the letter, gangsters with a personal code of ethics, and so on. So here’s my list of rules for being a scientist.
1. Keep reading everything.
2. The value of public speaking skills cannot be underestimated.
3. Remember the big questions that got you here in the first place.
4. Take philosophy seriously, but only the parts you can understand.
5. Sometimes, you just have to shut up and calculate.
6. Don’t distract yourself from the things you don’t know by working on things you do know.
7. The best defense against politics is integrity and a smile.
8. The more certain you are of a result, the more you should double check it.
9. If you aren’t curious to know the result of a calculation, it isn’t worth doing it.
10. Ask dumb questions. If you are truly an idiot, you’ll be found out eventually, so you might as well satisfy your curiosity in the meantime.
In the end, I think Rule 1 is most important. So, you should go and read Michael Nielsen’s classic advice to researchers, which is far more eloquent than the garbage you read on my blog.
An Island in Theoryspace 