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From: john@anasazi.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.sci
Subject: Re: biorhythms - example of invalid criticism
Message-ID: <258@anasazi.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 10-May-86 09:32:38 EDT
Article-I.D.: anasazi.258
Posted: Sat May 10 09:32:38 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 17-May-86 01:46:30 EDT
References: <8021@watrose.UUCP>
Reply-To: john@anasazi.UUCP (John Moore)
Distribution: net
Organization: Anasazi, Phoenix Az.
Lines: 31

I think that the whole issue of biorythms serves as an example of invalid
logic by both adherents and critics. This sort of polarization is typical
in most areas where there is no "hard" science.
	The errors of the adherents are obvious: there are the mystics
who come up with [you name it human characteristic] cycles based on
almost nothing; there are the more scientific ones who just misinterpret
the statistics.
	Many critics show the following, common, logical fallacy:
(1) There is a lot of crackpottery in biorythms, so
(2) Biorythm is crackpottery.
	This does not follow! It seems to me entirely likely that there
are various cycles that affect human performance, chemistry, health, etc.
The most obvious one is the circadian rythm, but a lunar cycle is not
too silly. That these cycles are started at birth and followed continuously,
that they are highly precise and the same in all individuals, etc, are
unlikely. That they correspond to very general characteristics like
"mental", "physical" and "emotional" is also unlikely... that sort of
lumping of characteristics is more like astrology. Whether they exist
at all is a matter of research, not pro or con emotional leanings.
		

-- 
John Moore (NJ7E/XE1HDO)
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The opinions expressed here are obviously not mine, so they must be
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