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Thursday, May 16, 12:13:25pm

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Subject: Constraints

Author:
Damoclese

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Date Posted: 12/10/02 6:41pm
In reply to: QUITTNER 's message, "There are still too many kooks about" on 12/10/02 2:03pm

>Damoclese, science is, in effect, a lot of tentative
>teachings that CAN BE PROVEN (subject to change) TO BE
>CORRECT, given the available tools. There are still
>lots of people about who apparently "believe in" all
>sorts of non-scientific items that they want science
>to accept, such as perpetuum mobile items, or even the
>flat earth concept maybe.
>..... If you can't prove it, it may be a religion or
>some other belief system, but it's NOT (yet?) part of
>science! And one of the major problems is what is
>acceptable as PROOF? Or TRUTH?

I'm sure there are many "kooks" out there, but I think the checks and balances of science are such that any kook would come out in the wash. It is worth mentioning that many "kooks" in the history of science turned out to be right; their far out ideas weren't so far out after all. I'm not saying I expect science to accomodate every trite claim, but I do think academic honesty demands that we attempt to see the other person's perspective and idea in its eterity before we dismiss it on the grounds of some model or dearly held notion.

Damoclese

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Replies:

Subject	Author	Date
Kookiness	QUITTNER	12/16/02 11:20am