Comments on: 10-07-14

By: Bill George

Bill George — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 06:37:44 +0000

“Experts” needs redefinition, as many will link to knowing absolutes. Perhaps “experts” – at best – can be described by French writer Andre Gide:

“Believe those who are seeking the truth, doubt those who find it.”

By: Kathryn Bay

Kathryn Bay — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 19:15:52 +0000

Here are two two quotes from Charles Darwin, which not only show his ethical stance on scientific investigations, but his deep understanding of the frailties of human cognition. (I cannot guarantee that they are word for word, because I copied them a while ago, and I may have paraphrased.)
1. To kill and error is a good a service as, and sometimes better than, the establishing of a new truth or fact.
2. …[I] followed a golden rule, namely that whenever a new observation or thought came across me, which was opposed to my general results, to make a memorandum of it without fail and at once; for I had found by experience that such facts and thoughts were far more apt to escape from the memory than favorable ones.

By: Tracy Ramsey

Tracy Ramsey — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 11:25:23 +0000

One might certainly hope so, however the listing used the term in lower case letters, and the description of the jobs duties gave no indication that this was anything like a computer application. I can’t help picturing it as simply hanging out in the basement of a fat guy named Toby, taking bong hits and playing Dungeons and Dragons all day, while he tells you about his thesis paper that he’s going to finish,”any day now”. While that might have proven intriguing twenty years ago, I’m afraid my metabolism no longer tolerates a “Skittles” and Dr. Pepper diet.

By: Marcel

Marcel — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 07:08:17 +0000

I’m assuming the IWD ads for researching & developing cold fusion is not for developing web applications using Macromedia Cold Fusion…..being a developer, that’s what sprang to mind first :)

By: Tracy Ramsey

Tracy Ramsey — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 18:55:36 +0000

If you want to see the true need for works devoted to presenting the scientific method and skepticism in confronting the ignorance all around us, check out the official job search site for Iowa Workforce Development. There are two listings for researching and developing “cold fusion”. I was afraid to even try to apply, for fear it’s simply a MENSA sting operation. Or that Michael Shermer might track me down and beat me senseless with a rolled up copy of “Skeptic.”

By: frank

frank — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 07:04:23 +0000

loved the admission about the efficacy of peer review – maybe we will see more tempered language and a little more respect towards “creationists”. it would seem that their reservations about the entrenched bias in mainstream “science” may indeed have some merit.

By: Bob Pese

Bob Pese — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 01:10:45 +0000

Sadly , you get raised eyerows and sneers if you object to the modern usage .

It’s something that has become so widespread that it is ,by default, correct usage.

“Immaculate Conception” is another.
Can somebody direct me/us to a list of such figures of speech which have become correct because of popular misuse.

I think Dobie Gillis has such a list somewhere

RJP

By: Bad Boy

Bad Boy — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 00:00:03 +0000

I disagree with Voelker’s rejection of “the truth will out” and his opinion that peer-review is not much of a remedy. Voelker is too impatient: the truth will *eventually* out but we may not live to see it.

As far as peer review … Kuhn said (paraphrased Max Planck?)
“A new 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.”

IOW: Peer review does work but not in the way it claims to. The ideals of science are muddied with human nature. We shouldn’t be surprised, as my graduate adviser said: “Remember, scientists are people, too.”

By: Loughlin Tatem

Loughlin Tatem — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 19:42:25 +0000

I shift my attention away from the article with a gnawing sense of despair when I am told something is wrong but left with no suggestion whatsoever as to what might be a solution to the problem.It is wrong to tell me that “being right doesn’t matter as much as being accepted” as though it might be right or acceptable to be so.

By: Paul Bredderman

Paul Bredderman — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 19:29:11 +0000

I suspect that losing weight is a problem that is individual specific. What works for some might be less effective for others. But, I also think there are come common denominators.

I have to admit that I come to this latter view from my own personal 73-year experience — a lifetime of being physically active, eating a variety of nutrient-dense foods (high nutrient to calorie ratio), and controlling total calorie intake. There probably are no quick fixes that will obviate this approach, long term.