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From: tino@hou2f.UUCP (A.TINO)
Newsgroups: net.sci,net.philosophy
Subject: Re: Contempt prior to Investigation
Message-ID: <635@hou2f.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 3-Mar-86 16:38:52 EST
Article-I.D.: hou2f.635
Posted: Mon Mar  3 16:38:52 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 5-Mar-86 03:49:38 EST
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Xref: watmath net.sci:556 net.philosophy:4337


In <435@ccivax.UUCP> Rex Ballard writes:
>Has science become a bastion of ignorance?
>Ignorance is best defined as "contempt prior to investigation".

Ignorance means "lack of knowledge" not "contempt prior to investigation".
The latter is more a definition of dogmatism.

>For some reason, it seems that there is a whole realm of "phenomena" which
>merits scientific investigation, and is being ignored as "crackpot science".

Where is the evidence-- and I mean EVIDENCE, not anecdotal reports appearing
in The National Enquirer-- that these so-called phenomena even exist?

>There are a whole arenas where "we can't explain it" so "it isn't an
>'official' science".  Once somebody has done a study, the book is closed,
>even though there are no answers.

Here we go again!  Every time someone makes a ridiculous claim--
that they can bend spoons, that they've been kidnapped by aliens,
that they can grow hair via pyramid power, whatever--
why is it up to science to explain it?  Doesn't it occur to the
wary observer that these claims are a tad suspicious? That they
are quite possibly pure hogwash?

And whenever a serious observer does take the time to examine 
these "claims of the paranormal" they usually find either a
con artist or nothing at all.  But does that shake the faith
of the true believer?  Of course not.

No matter how often these claims are shown to be nonsense,
there will always be souls who will insist on believing anyway. 
The problem isn't that science can't explain these things,
but that these things often just don't exist.  Much of what is
labeled "crackpot science" is based on a gross
misunderstanding of "legitimate" science and a willingness
to believe in something despite the lack of evidence. 
Before something can be studied, let's get some hard evidence that
there is something worth studying.

_______
Al Tino
..!hou2f!tino