[Skywise]

(06-07-2015, 08:03 PM)Island Chris Wrote: Hi Brian,

I suspect you are at least in part if not entirely correct in your skepticism. Papers are published in prestigious journals by famous people and they just are not correct. This is from the perspective of me being full of myself and thinking I am always right, liking controversy so I disagree with famous people: therefore they are wrong. (partly but not entirely joking).

Brian knows this, but some may not. What I just said does not mean that evolution/plate tectonics/global warming are incorrect. It refers to second order stuff. I have no patience with people who just don't have a clue about reality (flat earth/did not land on moon). There is some good line about unicorns.

Chris.

It really troubles me how little people understand the scientific method and/or the scientific process. So many people are constantly putting down science and scientists. Some of their complaints are justified but misplaced. I'd say nearly if not all the legitimate complaints should be directed at the human and the human nature, not science or scientists.
Scientists are human beings are they are subject to all the foibles that humans have. They are not infallible. But the failures of the human are erroneous attached to science as a method and as a profession. This is the 'hasty generalization' fallacy. Just because some teachers are child molesters, are all teachers molesters? Is teaching a bad thing?

The only solution I can think of is stronger scientific education, and starting early in the schooling years. But science seems to be going the way of shop and music classes. Basketball is just soooo much more important.

Brian