[Vision2020] Ripping the Easter Bunny's Head Off : Was:Of, By &

[lfalen]

I am a scientist. The most important thing is scientific experimentation is repeatability.
Roger
-----Original message-----
From: Joe Campbell joekc at adelphia.net
Date: Tue, 18 Mar 2008 23:03:50 -0700
To: Dave tiedye at turbonet.com
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Ripping the Easter Bunny's Head Off : Was:Of, By &

> Dave,
> 
> I agree with you, sort of, BUT I would make two points.
> 
> 1/ It cannot possibly be the case that "Accepted theories are only accepted 
> after ALL the alternative theories are proven false." For any one theory there 
> are an infinite number of alternatives. Showing that all of them are false 
> would be impossible. Things like simplicity, explanatory power, etc. play a 
> role in our choice of one scientific theory over another. This goes beyond 
> empirical confirmation or refutation.
> 
> 2/ Science never proves anything only if your standard for proof is 
> demonstrative certainty (such as we find in math and formal logic). If the 
> standards are loosened -- induction, abduction, inference to the best 
> explanation, etc. -- you'd have to admit that science proves some things.
> 
> --
> Joe Campbell
> 
> ---- Dave <tiedye at turbonet.com> wrote: 
> 
> =============
> Sorry Rodger, but this is incorrect as well (and a pet peeve of mine).
> 
> Science, with the exception of some Mathematics, does not ever "prove" 
> anything.  Science is function of disproof.  Accepted theories are only 
> accepted after ALL the alternative theories are proven false. But still 
> they are only considered accepted theories, never a "proof". 
> 
> So to restate your sentence correctly one could say "Science is based on 
> disproving the negative based on repeatable results."
> 
> For some reason it seems that few people other then scientists 
> understand this vital concept.
> 
> Dave
> 
> 
> lfalen wrote:
> > Donovan
> > You are correct in that you can not prove there is no god. Science does not work that way. It is difficult if not imposable to prove a negative. Science is based on proving a positive based on repeatable results. This is why any religious belief should be separate from science. Both have value but should not be mixed together.
> > Roger
> >   
> 
> 
> -- 
> Windows, OSX, or Linux is the same choice as:
> McDonalds, Burger King, or a (real) Co-Op.
> 
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