Sunday School

Sunday School October 13th 2024

This topic contains 49 replies, has 8 voices, and was last updated by  Simon Paynton 3 months, 4 weeks ago.

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  • #54975

    PopeBeanie
    Moderator

    Consequently, scientific theories must be continuously revised, expanded, or even replaced. This characteristic is not a flaw but rather the cornerstone of the scientific method’s success.

    Those are my favorite sentences. I like what you and AI wrote. It would make a nice preface to a book. I want to add more, e.g. about reproducibility of experiments, and requiring falsifiability of hypotheses, but I’ll save it for other chapters.

    I did make up an analogy to bodies of science (i.e. disciplines) continuously self-improving. They are rough sculptures, being shaped and reshaped into forms that increasingly accurately represent the reality of nature.

    Hmm, I’m maybe 80% happy with that last paragraph. So I asked AI to reword it and got:

    “I likened scientific disciplines to evolving sculptures, constantly being shaped and refined. These rough forms are continuously molded to more accurately represent the intricate realities of nature, with each iteration bringing them closer to truth.”

    Yeah, that’s more than 20% better.

    #54976

    PopeBeanie
    Moderator

    Woops can’t get too idealistic when i don’t think there is much chance of anything good transpiring.

    You did mention teaching critical thinking to school kids. I’ve been thinking in the past couple of years how to do this, e.g. via Youtube, by showing critical thinking (and errors) while running fun experiments. And somehow weaving concepts of skeptical thinking into social scenarios, e.g. when group think can lead to believing in things that are demonstrably false.

    I have all the video and audio equipment I need. But recently I wonder if Youtube will ever get better at helping people find excellent content. It’s gotten sooo bad at polluting the lists of suggested videos to watch. (At least for me.)

    #54979

    Consequently, scientific theories must be continuously revised, expanded, or even replaced. This characteristic is not a flaw but rather the cornerstone of the scientific method’s success.

    Yes, I use it all the time in discussions.  It is why I say that I hold no beliefs. I do not hold any beliefs about Evolution. Rather, I understand the Theory and use it to construct my worldview and create my interpretation of reality from that viewpoint. If the Big Bang Theory is revised because the JWST gives us new information about the formation of early galaxies, I don’t panic that I have to revise my understanding of nature. I have just become somewhat more knowledgeable that I was yesterday and then get on about my day. It’s not like I discovered that the Bible is man made!

    As a side note, individual members of a species do not evolve. The whole population does and over a period of time. Some theists seem to think this is the case. Let me ask ChatGPT 4.o if it agrees…

    Exactly! Evolution occurs at the population level, not the individual level. When we talk about evolution, we’re referring to changes in the frequency of certain traits or genes within a population over generations. Individual organisms may exhibit variations, but it is the accumulation and spread of these variations within the entire population that drives evolutionary change.

    Natural selection, genetic drift, gene flow, and mutation are key mechanisms of evolution. These processes affect the gene pool of a population, gradually leading to adaptations that enhance survival and reproductive success. Evolution is a cumulative process, happening over long periods as advantageous traits become more common in the population and less advantageous ones diminish.

    The concept emphasizes that while individuals may undergo changes (like growth or acclimatization), evolutionary change requires changes in the genetic makeup of a population across many generations.

    #54980

    Stupid wordpress formatting!!

    #54981

    Simon Paynton
    Participant

    I have just become somewhat more knowledgeable that I was yesterday and then get on about my day. It’s not like I discovered that the Bible is man made!

    What’s more, is that reality has the property of being logical and consistent.  The upshot of that is that disparate facts are linked and they support each other.  That’s why, if new facts are discovered that don’t fit the model, the model is enlarged or changed to accommodate them.

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