Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/17/84; site hao.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!mcnc!decvax!ittvax!dcdwest!sdcsvax!sdcrdcf!trwrb!trwrba!cepu!hao!ward
From: ward@hao.UUCP (Mike Ward)
Newsgroups: net.origins
Subject: Re: Pinking Shears Update
Message-ID: <1460@hao.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 13-Apr-85 14:24:19 EST
Article-I.D.: hao.1460
Posted: Sat Apr 13 14:24:19 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 17-Apr-85 00:52:17 EST
References: <888@uwmacc.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: High Altitude Obs./NCAR, Boulder CO
Lines: 25

[]
As one of those who stated that the scissoring anectode was "not
evidence", I would like to clarify my thoughts on this issue.
By saying that a story about anonomous people in an anonomous
university is not evidence, I was not stating that I did not
believe it.  This lack of disbelief goes for the statement that
you saw it in a book, and for the idea that it happened.  I know
(and I'm sure most people in this discussion, both of the scientific
and the creationist type, know) many professors of science who
would be easily capable of such acts. I was simply stating that
to present such a story without also making it verifiable was
like saying "you know, this might have happened....".
And that's not a very interesting contribution to a discussion
of this nature.

Also, while such incidents do not really affect the validity of science,
they do affect the way science is percieved by others, and they
certainly place barriers in the way of the progress of science.
One of the effects of verifying that such incidents happened
is to make their presentation in discussions such as this more
interesting.  Another effect is to get them out into the open,
so that the world of science can make it clear that it is unacceptable
behavior (I think that the care that is being taken to protect
the identity of the individual is an indication that it is 
recognized as unacceptable behavior).