Science Debate

[Irish]

ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE
It is a capital mistake to theorise before one has data. Insensibly

one begins to twist facts to suit theories instead of theories to suit facts.

MARK TWAIN:
There is

something fascinating about science. One gets such wholesale returns of conjecture out of such a trifling

investment of fact.

KARL POPPER
There are men with bold ideas, but highly critical of their own ideas;

they try to find whether their ideas are right by trying first to find whether they are not perhaps

wrong.

THOMAS BROWNE:
No one should approach the temple of science with the soul of a money changer.



CARL SAGAN:
There are many hypotheses in science which are wrong. That's perfectly all right; they're

the aperture to finding out what's right. Science is a self-correcting process. To be accepted, new ideas must

survive the most rigorous standards of evidence and scrutiny.

CLAUDE BERNARD (1813-78) French

physiologist:
Those who have an excessive faith in their theories or in their ideas are not only poorly disposed

to make discoveries, but they also make very poor observations. Science increases our power in proportion as it

lowers our pride.

ALBERT EINSTEIN:
Science is a wonderful thing if one does not have to earn one's

living at it.

HENRI POINCARÉ:
Science is built up of facts, as a house is built of stones; but an

accumulation of facts is no more a science than a heap of stones is a house.

ARTHUR C. CLARKE:
The

First Clarke Law states, “If an elderly but distinguished scientist says that something is possible he is almost

certainly right, but if he says that it is impossible he is very probably wrong.”

JACOB BRONOWSKI:
No

science is immune to the infection of politics and the corruption of power.

VERA RUBIN:
Science progresses

best when observations force us to alter our preconceptions.

MARIE CURIE:
There are sadistic scientists

who hurry to hunt down errors instead of establishing the truth.

ALBERT EINSTEIN:
Only two things are

certain: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm
not certain about the universe.

ALBERT EINSTEIN:


Most of the fundamental ideas of science are essentially simple, and may, as a rule, be expressed in a language

comprehensible to everyone.

PIERRE PACHET, Professor of Physiology at Toulouse, 1872:
Louis Pasteur's

theory of germs is ridiculous fiction.

MAX PLANCK
A scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its

opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die, and a new generation grows

up that is familiar with it.

[belgareth]

ALBERT EINSTEIN:


Only two things are certain: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm
not certain about the

universe.

Should be posted in every technical support department in the world. human stupidity works

both ways.

[Bubba]

Should be posted

in every technical support department in the world.

I agree. Those who are intimidated by the label

"scientist" should realize that they routinely encounter people who do just as much, or more, science than many who

call themselves scientists: people like tech support agents (although sometimes their scientific method is highly

scripted and therefore boring) and mechanics.

Science is a way of thinking, not a collection of facts.

Unfortunately, most middle-age people in the US were misinformed about this in school, and many of us are working to

change science education to emphasize process. Kids make the best scientists.

[Mtnjim]

"Bubba", with all due respect, you

suddenly show up and start claiming "scientific authority". Perhaps I may have missed where you explain exactly who

you are and established grounds to claim any authority, and if I did, please point me to it. Until I see some

evidence of your accomplishments, I must presume you to be some anonymous poster on some internet forum who is

simply restating things he/she may have heard someplace.

By the way

[Bubba]

"Bubba", with all

due respect, you suddenly show up and start claiming "scientific authority".

Sorry, Jim, but I haven't.

If I wanted to claim authority, I sure wouldn't be using the name Bubba.

Perhaps I may have missed

where you explain exactly who you are and established grounds to claim any authority,

You seem to have

missed that on JVK's misrepresentation of the paper, the paper itself is the authority. Did it include any VNO data

or not?

... and if I did, please point me to it. Until I see some evidence of your accomplishments,

I must presume you to be some anonymous poster on some internet forum who is simply restating things he/she may have

heard someplace.

Presume away. You seem to have missed the important point that in science, ALL appeals

to authority are bogus.

[Mtnjim]

Thanks for the ummmm

clarification.

[Irish]

BTW, although Mr./Ms. Bubba is clearly pointing us away from appeals to scientific authority, he/she

did give us some info about personal background:

"... For the record, I'm a practicing sensory

neuroscientist, just a couple of fields away from olfaction and pheromones."

The rule rather than the

exception on this forum has always been anonymous postings. I like that because:

* It encourages open

discussion about subject matter that many would perceive to be creepy and manipulative

* It encourages posts

that must stand or fall on their own ideas, without regard to who has the biggest PhD or whatever

Of course

posters are allowed to give their backgraound, claims to authority, or whatever else they want to put out there. And

people are also allowed to give that info whatever credence they feel it deserves (it's being open, it shows

expertise, it's a shameless attempt to shout down those less "qualified", it's a blatant commercial hijacking of

an opinion forum, or whatever).

I can see why some think background and authority are necessary to having a

worthy opinion here, but even more so I appreciate reading anonymous posts and evaluating them on their own

standalone merits. Personally I don't care what Mr./Ms. Bubba's credentials may be - I'm just glad he/she is

posting!