Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!pacbell!well!fico2!everexn!karen
From: karen@everexn.uucp (Karen Valentino)
Newsgroups: news.groups
Subject: Re: SCI.PHILOSOPHY.OBJECTIVISM
Message-ID: <1990Feb2.191043.7706@everexn.uucp>
Date: 2 Feb 90 19:10:43 GMT
References: <3284@iitmax.IIT.EDU> <10562@june.cs.washington.edu>
Organization: Everex Systems, Inc.
Lines: 39

ka@cs.washington.edu (Kenneth Almquist) writes:

>Astrology is based upon observations, but it is not a science.  What
>distinguishes natural philosophy (science) is that it has generally
>accepted methods for going from observations to theories.  

Webster's disagrees with you.  Science is defined in the dictionary
more broadly than you define it, and only includes the natural sciences 
as one of its definitions.  Astrology, which is an area of systematized
knowledge, *is* a science.  But that does not automatically give 
astrology, or Objectivism, entree into the sci hierarchy.

I think it is a mistake to argue against Objectivism as a science.
Webster's specificially mentions theology, sport, and *cooking*
as sciences.  Arguing against Objectivism by complaining that it
is political seems useless to me, because *politics* is a science.

BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT ALL SCIENCES GO IN SCI!

Instead, the arugment should about what sciences get to go in sci.

And, ideally to me, other sciences should have a place to go
besides the Dumping Grounds of talk.  (I agree that many topics
are appropriate to the talk hierarchy.  Often newsgroup proposers
seek talk when they make their proposals.  But it seems to me that
sometimes topics get "shoved" into talk--in those instances talk
acts like a catchall hierarchy for subjects because there isn't
a better place to put them.  I'm against "talk by default.")

Based on the current system, I believe that Objectivism should go
in talk.  But couldn't we also look at the bigger picture--the
system as it exists?  It leaves lots to be desired, IMO.

Karen
-- 
   Karen Valentino  <>  Everex North (Everex Systems)  <>  Sebastopol, CA
      karen@everexn.uu.net      ..{apple, well}!fico2!everexn!karen

	  "The best way out is always through."  Robert Frost