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From: ark@alice.UucP (Andrew Koenig)
Newsgroups: net.med
Subject: Re: IN DEFENSE OF ELECTROMAGNETIC SMOG--A challenge!
Message-ID: <4261@alice.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 2-Sep-85 11:28:52 EDT
Article-I.D.: alice.4261
Posted: Mon Sep  2 11:28:52 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 3-Sep-85 01:38:09 EDT
References: <2091@ukma.UUCP>
Organization: Bell Labs, Murray Hill
Lines: 11

> Every single major leap forward in human understanding of how the
> universe works, flew in the face of the previous "known truths".

I have seen this particular statement made by many people in many
contexts.  I am almost always then invited to draw the conclusion
that because the particular idea that the present speaker is espousing
flies in the face of present "known truths" that it must therefore
be a "major leap forward in human understanding."

This is, of course, an example of the elementary fallacy known as
"reasoning from the converse."