Philosophy scientists can use Part V: Everything looks like a nail

Welcome to the fifth post in our series about aphorisms which contain wisdom that can be used by scientists. If you missed the introduction to this series we recommend you check it out. This week we are discussing the phrase:

“When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail”

Many of the aphorisms we have discussed have similar themes, usually focusing on the use of tools. It’s unlikely that this is coincidence; many of these phrases originate from centuries when the majority of the population had very practical and manual jobs. Given that aphorisms are designed to be widely applicable it follows that when trying to “design” an aphorism writers would choose themes which were not only relevant but used comparisons they knew would resonate with the widest audiences. As is the case with this week’s phrase which aims to teach us that sometimes we may lack the tools we need and may need to consider other perspectives rather than approaching an issues with stubborn single-mindedness.

This aphorism has a more complex history than some of the ones discussed previously. The earliest obvious reference is to a philosopher, Abraham Kaplan around 1962. It is suggested that he used the phrase “Give a small boy a hammer, and he will find that everything he encounters needs pounding” and subsequently called this the Law of the Instrument. A similar reference can be found to psychologists Silvan Tomkins and Kenneth Colby in 1963. In their book on computer simulations of personality the phrase “If one has a hammer one tends to look for nails” is used. Likewise, the book directly makes mention of the Law of the instrument. Despite these early sources this phrases is often misattributed to the psychologist Abraham Maslow (who you may recognise from Maslow’s hierarchy of needs). Maslow does use the phrase “if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail” in his book The Psychology of Science. however it was not published until 1966. While this suggests that it did in fact originated in 1962 with Kaplan earlier sources suggest the original phrase may have been “Birmingham screwdriver.” This term was allegedly used to suggest Birmingham workers were too lazy to use a screwdriver for and would use a hammer instead. While this might be true there is no concrete evidence supporting this idea.

While the origin of this phrase is a little unclear the point it is trying to make is one that should be well known to scientist. In particular in relation to the field of psychology; it is an example of cognitive bias; a process where our judgement is changed or influenced because of our own subjective views. This phrases is designed to warn against the reliance on familiar tools and prevent us from being blind to new perspectives. While we all like to think we are unbiased, it can be an easy trap to fall into. The question then is, how can we prevent this from happening, as both scientists and as individuals?

Right tool for the right job
As the villain prepares to lower the hero into the shark tank, our hero uses the handy gadget given to him earlier by his assistant to escape the trap and save the day. While life would be more interesting if it was more like fiction the principle still stands; having the right tool for the right job at the right time can be crucial. In science some of the tools we use might be more expensive or more complicated than your standard hammer but no matter how fancy your equipment, if you pick the wrong tool you’re putting effort into the wrong place. When designing an experiment you need to ask if the equipment is going to give the data you actually need, is it going to accurately tell you what you are hoping it will, is there something better you could use? It may turn out that you were right all along and have the right tools but it’s worth asking these ahead of time rather when it’s too late.

You need breadth as well as depth
As well as offering practical advice this aphorism can provide more abstract insight. If you want to become an expert in your field there is a common statistics cited that you need 10000 hours of experience, while the accuracy of this is regularly disputed it suggests that spending time in a specific area can lead to “expertise.” However, it can be easy to become too specialised; as well as having the in depth knowledge about your chosen area we need to have breadth. As well as reading around your area of interest it can be worth learning about what’s going on further afield, whether that’s reading papers from other journals, attending seminars on new topics, or having discussions with an expert in a different field over an alcohol beverage or two. Not only can “work” reading help but reading fiction is incredibly beneficial; you never know where the next bolt of inspiration will come from. Being exposed to different ideas is a great way to build your creativity; when two unexpected and interesting areas meet some of the most interesting and innovative science can occur. This type of thinking can help you grow as an individual and prevent you from becoming stuck in the infamous echo chambers of the world.

Develop a problem solving mind set
One thing this series has mentioned multiple times is to take a look at what you’re doing and see if it can’t be done differently. Once again, this aphorism is asking you to have enough self-awareness to ask yourself if you might be approaching a problem with too much single-mindedness. Last week’s discussion highlighted that persistence can be an incredibly beneficial quality, but there is a fine line between persistence and stubbornness. Developing a problem solving mindset will allow you to know the difference, so you will know when it might be time to change the tools you are using for something better. This might mean asking around for help to learn a new technique, collaborating with new researchers or rethinking your original hypothesis. This approach can be difficult; it might mean backtracking or require more effort on your part, but in the end it can provide you with results that you can have true confidence in.

The next time you set out to tackle a problem that you’ve been working on for a while remember this aphorism. Hopefully it can provide some wisdom that you can apply not only in your work life but in any aspect of your life. 

If you can you think of any more reasons that this aphorism could be useful let us know on twitter