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From: steve@hubcap.UUCP (Steve )
Newsgroups: sci.philosophy.tech
Subject: Re: Definition of science and of scientific method.
Message-ID: <377@hubcap.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 11-Aug-87 14:49:06 EDT
Article-I.D.: hubcap.377
Posted: Tue Aug 11 14:49:06 1987
Date-Received: Thu, 13-Aug-87 04:46:45 EDT
References: <147@aiva.ed.ac.uk>
Organization: Clemson University, Clemson, SC
Lines: 39

in article <147@aiva.ed.ac.uk>, jeff@aiva.ed.ac.uk (Jeff Dalton) says:
> 
> In article <369@hubcap.UUCP> steve@hubcap.UUCP (Steve ) writes:
>>in article <122@aiva.ed.ac.uk>, jeff@aiva.ed.ac.uk (Jeff Dalton) says:

> I don't see the significance of your aether example.  Do you think
> there's some better idea of what's real than what science gives us?

I was merely trying to point out that "Science" is not an absolute.  It
was Philosophy which decided ('way back with Leibniz) that one must demonstrate
the consequences of ones theory.  There are historically lots of examples
of the absolute view prevailing for a time.

> A wrong answer doesn't mean that it wasn't science.

Never said that it did - it is not a personal attack on science.
> And you seem to be using "modeling" in the way Creationists use "theory".

Definition.  A model is a set of assumptions.

Ah, the emotive words "creationist" and "theory."  [Y'all ought to live in
South Carolina if y'all want to get in this one :-) ].  But you're right -
under the above definition it is similar.  What makes my use of the term
model a cut above is that one might assume the following scenerio:

							 challenge -------------------------
                                \/                             \/
	observation -> model -> hypotheses -> experimentation -> conclusions
		/\            /\        /\               /\
		|             |         |                |
		-----><------------><------------><-------

So, aether was a model - a set of assumptions.  I believe - may the physicists
not strike me dead - that the final word is not in on photons yet.  So it's
a model.
-- 
D. E. (call me Steve) Stevenson            steve@hubcap.clemson.edu
Department of Computer Science,            (803)656-5880.mabell
Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634-1906