An Interview with Dr. Jake Berv

Jake Berv would teach all secondary students statistics

so they can better understand the quantitative nature of science. He has many other ideas, some of which I had the pleasure of discussing with him in an interview I just posted here.

Dr. Berv is an evolutionary biologist, and a Schmidt AI In Science post-doctoral fellow at the University of Michigan. Evolutionary biology is key to the Lizard Brain metaphor. I frequently see social behaviors in humans that smell instinctive. Our dual animal-intellect nature is being put to the test as we face climate change, and I don’t think it’s a stretch to suggest that our inability to confront clear scientific realities carries a whiff of ancient reflexes.

The importance of better scientific education is something we both agree on. I think our children would be far less susceptible to the whispers of climate deniers if they were taught more about the philosophy of science. We demand a lot from teachers now, but our world today is more dependent on, and immersed in, science. Understanding how it works, what those people in lab coats actually do for a living, and why it’s okay if they get something wrong, is a lifeskill arguably as important for high school students these days as higher math.

We talked about how scientific conclusions are diffused through the population, for better or worse. A pet idea of mine is a universal clearinghouse and database of all current scientific knowledge, curated by the scientific community itself. I’m still not sure whether he thought it was realistic in the end. For the time being, Wikipedia remains the closest thing we have.

In another post I discuss the results of an excellent 2016 Vox Media poll which asked a wide range of scientists what they found wrong with the way science is being conducted today. It highlighted a number of problems that compromise our ability to pursue pure science. Jake agreed with many of its conclusions and offered some new ideas about how research could be more equitably funded.

Finally we talked about AI, its promise and limitations. AI is central to his fellowship and Jake brings a useful perspective to the subject. It will be increasingly present in all of our lives. It’s imperative we understand it better, but that could be said about many new technologies, as well as science itself.

In another post I talk about how important it is to require our opinions to prove themselves in the wider arena of ideas. A discussion with someone like Jake will hone them; it’s something I’d encourage anyone to do whenever possible. Our conversation is a great place to start. 

— Dave Coulter

11/27/2023