Gijs A. Holleman

Don’t forget the world outside the lab – a comment on “Illusions of Understanding in the Sciences”

The article “Illusions of Understanding in the Sciences” by Shiffrin et al. (2026) describes ways in which scientists can mislead themselves and others about the extent to which they understand the (causal underpinnings of) phenomena they research. In this reply, we highlight how such “illusions of understanding” can a...