(no subject)

[scottobear]

"In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion."
-- Carl Sagan, 1987 CSICOP keynote address

Comments

[blackmanxy.livejournal.com]

It makes sense, though. Scientists are (ideally) dedicated to learning the truth, not promoting one point of view over another. Well, sadly this is less true than we'd like to think. But they also deal pretty much in verifiable facts. They can prove their claims. You can't prove God. Can't disprove Him either. And in politics, you aren't trying to prove anything, really. Just trying to get your way. IMO.

Big Science

[inquisitor.livejournal.com]

"Every day" is quite an overstatement in science. During my indenture in that "hallowed field", I saw a Nobel Prize winner block a publication of my graduate advisor, and then claim the results for himself, had my career threatened because I generated data which contradicted results publicized in the NY Times and Washington Post, saw a competing scientist sic his good old boy network on my postdoc advisor, learned that a scientist at Harvard (who has a few constants named after him) regularly attempts to block the tenure of anyone entering his field, watched my wife's advisor decide to take the credit for her work when he sniffed that it might end up in _Nature_ or _Science_, laughed at the head of our chem department when I learned of her yearly faculty dinner where she went around the table and listed the size of everyone's grants, caught someone plagiarizing, but wasn't allowed to nail him because that wouldn't have been nice, and eventually got so disgusted that I walked away.

In reality, science is composed of equal parts religion and politics IMO. Where it trumps those two fields is that when a scientist dies, he or she has made so many enemies that the survivors dance on his or her grave and push the field ever forward. Moments like that are gratifying, but who wants to sit around for 20-30 years waiting for a brief bit of gratification when you're now too old to truly enjoy it?

A physicist once told me that in science: "the competition is so intense because the stakes are so low." I'd listent to that man.

Re: Big Science

[scottobear.livejournal.com]

:) well said.... introduce the human element into any quest for knowledge or truth, and some sticky, pustulent wounds are bound to result.

but... I'd like to see the quest for knowledge adapt at least as fast as our science community, despite it's failings.

[pntheramnementh.livejournal.com]

Science promotes and opperates on *Theory*. Good thing.

Religious theory? never heard of it.

"When you believe, you stop thinking"

Re:

[scottobear.livejournal.com]

How about political theory?

Re:

[pntheramnementh.livejournal.com]

I don't know much about politics. Is there such a thing?

Re:

[scottobear.livejournal.com]

Perhaps only in academia. :) but it does exist.