Site-Wide Activity

I am reminded of the Bill Nye vs Ken Ham debate when the latter kept referring to “observational science” and “historical science”.

In my teens I was involved in some anti-apartheid action. This was following the lead of some Irish workers that went on a 3 year strike. They were later congratulated by Nelson Mandela. I think that strike was effective because it targeted rich land owners and (white) farmers. I do “buy ethically” as often as I can when it comes to fair trade…[Read more]

Chris Reeve’s article says there is normal science, and there is controversial science. It says too that our reactions to controversial science reveal the depth of our thinking and our propensity to lead. (Like who wants to lead?)

Geocentrism was once normal science. Alternatives to it were so controversial that medieval churchmen declared th…[Read more]

There is an impression “out there” that the Scientific Method is how scientists do science. This is not the case. Scientists and non-scientists can come up with novel ideas and make observations, collect data and discover trends or patterns from that data. They can carry out their on random test and trials to see what happens. Others might jus…[Read more]

Reg, China isn’t exactly a human rights paradise, even now.  I think most people there, now, know better than to start a mass protest.  Recently, more came out about the protest, with reports of tanks running back and forth over students until they were puree, then washing them down the sewers.  If we are going to boycott countries, we should bo…[Read more]

Pope, idk bout dat quote.

Scientific method works. Scientists sometimes deviate from it.

Even flawed science gets the same testing as good science. Therefore screw-ups continue to wear the moniker of scientist and we the nonscientists benefit from the efforts of the experimenters.

Years ago, I used to be quite a popular beta-tester on various computer programs. The idea was that you’d try to crash or otherwise break the new program. I beta-tested for the early google site.  Programmers love good beta testers as it enables them to fine tune their work.

The same applies to new scientific theories. The proponents of the th…[Read more]

Unseen wrote:

The point, I suppose, is that science and its vaunted method, is just that: a method. Unlike Newton’s or Einstein’s or what little we know of the rules governing quantum-level events, the scientific method may use those laws, but it itself is not a law.

I struggled with this for a while, until finally figuring out what I think is…[Read more]

Damn, Simon, what are you smoking?

Unlike the line from a movie…i will have what she is having…for me ….it is keep that shit Simon is smoking away from me.

No, I don’t think so Simon. I see no overlap (or NOMA). Science is not “all about truth”. Science investigates claims based upon evidence while religion makes claims without any evidence. Science does not care about the “truth” of the outcome of its investigations. It is only concerned with the validity of the idea, not the implications of it. Wh…[Read more]

@unseen – “The point, I suppose, is that science and its vaunted method, is just that: a method.”

– that’s very true, and it rasises the possibility of a “religious method”.  If science is all about truth, and being as true as possible, the religious method would explore truth and love (the pressure to thrive, survive and reproduce).  Of c…[Read more]

Reg the Fronkey Farmer wrote:

That is the key value of the Scientific Method when properly applied. A good theory should be able to make predictions and allow others to reproduce the results. It should be falsifiable. When a paper is submitted for peer-review other scientists try to disprove it. They want to tear it apart and find faults with it.…

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I remember after the Tiananmen Square massacre (1989) I blurted out that I would boycott Chinese goods as a protest. I immediately corrected myself for being stupid as this would only harm individuals and not the Communist Party. I will still travel to the US for Thanksgiving this year. I will spend time in both Georgia and Florida which seem to…[Read more]

I met an American couple today who have decided to move to Ireland as they can relocate their jobs to here within the same company.

“What was the main factor in your decision”, I asked. Dublin is not Calif. especially in the winter.

Yeah, but you don’t have Trump…..said the ex-Marine and her husband agreed.

Apparently many of their co-workers…[Read more]

@Robert, the most expensive cat shit in the world!

Of course if you really love coffee….

Kopi luwak (Indonesian pronunciation: [ˈkopi ˈlu.aʔ]), or civet coffee, is coffee that includes part-digested coffee cherries eaten and defecated by the Asian palm civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus). Fermentation occurs as the cherries pass through a civet’s intestines, and after being defecated with ot…[Read more]

I think I saw @Daniel W. drive by the other day with his coffee cup…..

@Daniel, yes we still have to be careful where we purchase from. I’ve been buying ”ethical coffees” where treatment  & wages are fair.