Science Debate

[DrSmellThis]

Bubba,



Excellent!! I applaud your integrity as a scientist. That was what I was taught and have tried to apply to

everything. It makes you more a sceptic at times but that's a good thing too. We should be sceptical of all things,

especially the claim of "I'm right, these are the facts an that's all there is too it." All too often people

don't question the facts so go on believing the world is flat all their lives.

Hey Doc, Very correct. I'm glad

you pointed it out. In general I don't care if the VNO exists because it has no impact whatsoever on me. However, I

have been following this discussion with interest simply for the sake of knowledge. By deciding that something is a

fact we stop learning about that subject and that is always a waste.

Thanks, Sir Belgareth.

I tried at

first not to make these comments, but I couldn't resist digressing for a moment; I was so suprised to see someone

like Bubba enter the discussion.

I have often wished some good scientists, people who thought like good

scientists in general (say, with a grounding in, and respect for, philosophy of science; and/or lots of research

experience), would happen by the forum during some of these discussions to try to keep things more scientific,

intellectually rigorous (independent of how many facts someone knows), and academic.

Now one apparently has,

Bubba, and it is quite refreshing. Otherwise it's like street fighting or war (with espionage, etc.) compared to

boxing or sports, without any "gentlemen's (gentlewoman's) rules".

Scientific thinking is a lovely, fun thing;

even applying to the rest of your life. It makes us skeptics without making us cynics, and even keeps us

humble.

I don't care whether there's an active VNO either. I just enjoy thinking about human science the best

I can, and taking whatever that gives me. Self-respecting scientists care about the scientific methods, honesty; and

satiating their curiosity, and lust for learning; not advancing an agenda. If you learn the discipline of thinking,

you can usually tell a good scientist by the way they talk, IMO, because it reflects their discipline of thought. It

has nothing to do with showing how much you know, or being "technical", for instance. That's trivial pursuit, not

science.

Regarding Bubba's point, a good scientist always wants to have way more criticisms of his or her own

stuff in the back of their head than anyone else could think up. That's first or second year grad school stuff,

right Bubba? You truly appreciate constructive criticisms, because, that could be a paragraph in your next paper, or

a clue to a follow up study. It's all good ...science. Ego agendas are just like a brain virus to a scientist,

rendering one mentally ill without insight into one's condition.

Now, with that digression, mods permitting of

course, back to topic.