The Rigorous Raven is an important part of the Community for Rigor. They’re an avatar that represents some of scientists’ best features, like intelligence and curiosity, and they’re also a mood. From joyful to frustrated, inquisitive to totally over it, the Rigorous Raven remind us that learning comes with big feelings, and that sometimes words can’t accurately capture what is so deeply felt.
There are plenty of smart creatures in the animal kingdom, so why did we choose the raven? Because ravens exemplify some of the best traits of a rigorous scientist; they are intelligent, insatiably curious and playful, they collaborate with their peers and communicate constantly, and learn from their mistakes. They can imagine outcomes and anticipate what other ravens can potentially see. As most scientists today, ravens have to acquire a range of skills and knowledge in order to succeed; they are ecological generalists who inquisitively explore their environment and apply that knowledge to their survival skills.
As Carl Bergstrom and Jevin West (C4R coLAB partners and evolutionary biologist and information school professors at the University of Washington) remind us in their book, Calling Bullshit, “corvids—ravens, crows, and jays—are remarkably intelligent birds.” They manufacture the most sophisticated tools of any nonhuman species and plan ahead for the future. Their lifestyle rewards intelligence. They manipulate objects in their environment to solve all kinds of puzzles and creatively explore their surroundings in search of food to meet their caloric needs.
Since ravens realize their food needs fairly easily, in their free time they love to play! We like to take their cue in that rigor doesn’t have to be burdensome, stiff, and tedious, but rather a game of curiosity that requires us to remain open, creative, and nimble, to try and fail and try again while having fun in the process.
Don’t be fooled by their dark and serious air! Ravens are the mythological tricksters, pranksters, and mischievous creators. They can be found in the San Francisco sea cliffs engaging in all kinds of play behaviors like synchronized flights, playing with updrafts, and mobbing hawks. They love a fun dive bombing session to defend their territory from unwelcome predators, throwing pebbles, and playing in the snow. Just like ravens, humans learn through play. It's how we explore our curiosity and learn about the world, how we develop capacity and neural networks, movement, and combat skills. We learn by abstracting new challenges into safe, low-risk situations and exploring what’s possible, just as we do when we’re learning to play an instrument or a new game. While most animals seem to grow out of it, ravens and humans don’t. We play for a lifetime, and most importantly, we seek social play. Playing alone isn’t remotely as fun.
But the raven’s playful nature can sometimes result in overconfidence and they’ll ultimately pay the price. They remind us that, as scientists, we must remain humble, vigilant of our own processes, biases, and assumptions. Ravens are adept at using tools and solving puzzles to access food. Occasionally, they might tackle a particularly complex problem, believing they can find a shortcut, quicker, or more efficient method. This overconfidence can lead them to fail or take longer than necessary if they miscalculate the steps needed. They often engage in bold behavior, such as stealing food from larger birds like hawks or eagles, which can backfire if the larger bird retaliates, as ravens tend to underestimate their opponents strength and reactions. Overconfidence and taking shortcuts often come back to bite ravens in their tail feathers, just as it can happen in science.
Like the Rigorous Raven, in order to get the most out of their curious nature, scientists must plan carefully, develop multiple skills, and cooperate and communicate constantly with their peers. Be vigilant but enjoy the process, including the failures and the mistakes, and share your findings, even when they’re not what you were expecting. Remember that scientific rigor doesn’t have to be rigid, that it requires you to be bold but nimble, and that it benefits from a willingness to be curious, persistent, and creative.
Carl T. Bergstrom, professor, University of Washington and C4R coLAB
