Blinkered Scientists

[jomifl]

Scientists are often described as 'blinkered' on AB by people who have theories that cannot be justified or accommodated by mainstream science. It seems ironic that the 'unblinkered' have contributed next to nothing to the fund of human knowledge yet can be so dismissive of scientists and science. Or are my blinkers wrongly fitted?

[mibn2cweus]

^ A shining example of the triumph of science over the work of the 'devil'.

[jim360]

I think sometimes people don't get the narrative of Science right. For example, the story of Quantum Mechanics isn't really one of a few lone rebels fighting against the classical elite. There were problems, and known problems, and people had to set out to solve them and were drawn to this slowly. Certainly there was resistance and the journey wasn't smooth. But it was a journey that a large part of the community was working on.

That's going on a lot of the time now. You can imagine Scientists as trying to explore the unknown world, often heading in several different directions all at the same time, and calling over people over when they have found a way through the gloom. In this way all scientists as a whole are always looking at dead ends as well as what will turn out to be the "correct" route.

[modeller]

I apologise for digressing from the thread .

jim //There are people who don't smoke who do. There is also a significant overlap.//

I don't know what you consider //a significant overlap.// but in the US it was 10% and of that 10% many were exposed to second hand smoking.

When I was teaching I use to receive the annual figures for the UK and if I
remember correctly in 1990s the round figures for lung cancer deaths were 92,000 of which 3,000 were non smokers.

[jim360]

Two separate sentences, modeller. "Significant overlap between those who smoke and those who developed cancer".

[Clanad]

jomfil, seems to me you've made my point... the central tenet of science is the data... one can have all the theories they can devise, but it's the data (and its interpretation) that prove/disproves the theory...

I miss the point of your later sniggery concerning fossils... admittedly, went right over my head (unless you intend to discuss stasis thoroughly).

[jim360]

The data and the experiments are probably the most important, yes. Any theory needs to match experiments (and so, really, their data) to be taken seriously.

[beso]

Some scientists certainly can become blinkered but it is rather ironic when the blindfolded try to point this out.

[jomifl]

Clanad,your understanding of science is back to front. Scientist don't gather a load of data and then try to interpret it to form a theory. They form the theory first the test it with the data. Doing it this way means that they don't have to make any judgements and get tempted into making the pieces fit. The data makes the decision, it either fits the pre-determined requirements or doesn't. That is why science works.
The same principles can be applied to pretty well anything.

[jomifl]

Clanad, If you want to discuss stasis (having defined its meaning) why don't you start a new thread?

[jim360]

Theory and experiment drive each other, but my experimentalist tutor knows which one comes first! I'm a theorist at heart, so I disagree -- but Science needs both types. What the world actually does, and so the data, ultimately have to reign supreme though.

[society]

"Jim360
I'm a theorist at heart"

You've proven this beyond a shadow of a doubt. :)

[jim360]

Thanks for the compliment!

[beso]

I think Jomifl overstates the case of theory first. It really is a bit of both.

However scientists are well aware that a theory is only proven by it being able to predict something otherwise unexpected. The Higgs Boson is a great example.

Indeed there is major debate in the large astronomy projects to determine the optimum proportion to release from the vast tracts of data generated because they don't want to lose the opportunity to test new hypotheses.

[jomifl]

It is surprising how much progress has been made by blinkered people. Imagine how much more progress woud be made if all those unblinkered people got of their @rses.