Life in a nutshell
- Thread starter atskywalker
- Start date
SmokingPipes.com Updates
Watch for Updates Twice a Week
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
Site Sponsors
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
- Status
Well, this is really a whole different discussion but I'll give you the idea in a nutshell.
True science adheres to the following tenet: It must be observable, repeatable, and falsifiable.
That was the modernist view of science from the renaissance through the age of enlightenment.
However, since we live in a post-modern world and all of our institutions are governed by post-modernists, including the scientific community, they have abandoned the modernist tenet. Now, rather than seeking to understand objective truth, "science" is used to drive technological advancement and most importantly, societal change.
If you want an example, look at the global warming debate. The conclusion has already been reached. The "science" is consists of collecting data to support the conclusion and suppress any data that does not support the conclusion. Anyone who disagrees with the conclusion is labeled "anti-science" or a "denier" when in reality it's the scientists who have abandoned the historical tenet.
Nothing I said above is my "personal" definition. Observable, repeatable, and falsifiable is the classical definition of the scientific method. I'm just pointing out that modern scientists have abandoned that.
I think everyone adheres to a certain personal belief. However you can categorize each individual based on their belief. Each sentence may be different, but they can mean the same thing to the individual. For example.
Help those that help you.
Take care of your own, and your own will take care of you.
But then as you become older and you have more life experiences your thought of what life is, may change. And it usually does to a certain point of each individual.
It can go from "f*ck this, I quit" to "life is grand".
Help those that help you.
Take care of your own, and your own will take care of you.
But then as you become older and you have more life experiences your thought of what life is, may change. And it usually does to a certain point of each individual.
It can go from "f*ck this, I quit" to "life is grand".
Your opinion is that science no longer conforms to the classical definition. Once you've shown how that is, in science literature if you wish the definition to be changed for practising scientists, or in argument here if you wish us to consider your definition valid, we're good to go. Until then, it's your opinion and personal definition.
It's fairly well established that modern "science" has largely succumbed to the political parameters governing acceptable thought in the modern west. We see this in a number of disciplines. Sadly, further discussion of this issue would be considered "hatefact" and simply cannot be discussed. So we just wait and see how it all pans out.
I showed you with the global warming example. They don't use any of the three principles. Nor can they for that matter. But it doesn't stop them from calling it "science". It's a vehicle for social change, nothing more.
So let's get into the ways that they don't use the three principles. A scientific theory is a many legged entity consisting of multiple research papers that all attempt to validate or disprove it's constituent parts. It's an at present best description of the observed facts, and the really good ones have a strong predictive power.
If you pick a foundational pillar of the theory, we can look at the supporting papers and see where they violate the three principles.
If you pick a foundational pillar of the theory, we can look at the supporting papers and see where they violate the three principles.
I'll let the University of East Anglia example stand on its own as it regards global warming. But that's not actually what I was referring to. If this subject matter is new for anyone, it's best we just drop it. There's no point and feelings will be hurt. All I can say is that advances in the field of genetics are going to cause great political discomfort, and those practicing actual science within that field are walking in glass right now, let alone egg shells. It is actually rather (darkly) comic to observe the contortions.
Yep. Richard Hermstein and Charles Murry had their careers ruined for practicing traditional science.
It's more anecdotal evidence (so take it or leave it 
), but the trends in science that seacaptain and Perique speak of are specifically mentioned in many of the classes I've had, especially the ones centered around epistemology, attempting to bring awareness to those trends.
On a separate (or maybe not) note, I would listen to anything farmers have to say. They are more in touch and in touch with more, than most of us. No, I'm not going to produce a bunch of "evidence" for that because I'm not really wanting to convince or prescribe, and that's because I don't "know". But I do see a lot more evidence for the objective than I do for this post-modern jumble.
), but the trends in science that seacaptain and Perique speak of are specifically mentioned in many of the classes I've had, especially the ones centered around epistemology, attempting to bring awareness to those trends. On a separate (or maybe not) note, I would listen to anything farmers have to say. They are more in touch and in touch with more, than most of us. No, I'm not going to produce a bunch of "evidence" for that because I'm not really wanting to convince or prescribe, and that's because I don't "know". But I do see a lot more evidence for the objective than I do for this post-modern jumble.
To my mind. Post-Modern thinking proceeds as if they've had the final say in epistemology and laid the whole thing to rest. The problem I see is that the post-modern man in general has a level of confidence in his knowledge, understanding, and opinions about the world that is unfounded when examined. Science is always work in progress. That's the beauty of it. When Newton laid down his laws it was assumed to be final. Then came Einstein who proved that its not the whole picture; at the point we thought we got it. Then came the quantum mechanics cats who made Einstein so uneasy that he died refusing to accept some of their assertions (look up "Spooky action at a distance" ). When you look at how modern physics describes the world its very difficult to not feel that we live in wonderland. Who knows what will science reveal tomorrow that will shake our fundamental assumption about the universe once again and again and again. Science should make people humble. Instead hubris rules and prideful certainty abound. I'm afraid the religion of science may, at this pace, be the most oppressive mankind has ever evoked.
I once read an interesting saying that went along the lines of "Ignorance gains confidence as it grows". (don't remember the exact quote or by whom.
). When you look at how modern physics describes the world its very difficult to not feel that we live in wonderland. Who knows what will science reveal tomorrow that will shake our fundamental assumption about the universe once again and again and again. Science should make people humble. Instead hubris rules and prideful certainty abound. I'm afraid the religion of science may, at this pace, be the most oppressive mankind has ever evoked. I once read an interesting saying that went along the lines of "Ignorance gains confidence as it grows". (don't remember the exact quote or by whom.
It absolutely has been, and I do hope it will continue. It's really something, atskywalker. I read your last post as I typed this, and when I came to the part about quantum mechanics, shivers ran down my spine. Why? Because moments ago, as I was towards the middle of this thread, something someone said, made me think of quantum mechanics. I don't know exactly what I would have said, but I wanted to bring the topic (of quantum mechanics), into the discussion. I didn't, because my understanding of this whole topic, QM most definitely included, is in it's infancy, and I'd rather not make a fool of myself.
Anyway, thanks for this excellent thread.
- Status