It might be worth adding that Einstein probably would also have disagreed
with Feynman on this point. The original test of general relativity proved
it false. Einsten didn't give up, and is even alledged to have faked some
calculations to support his view, and eventually a flaw was found in the
experiment and subsequent work was consistent with the theory. Hey, if you
have a good theory you don't give it up without a fight.
I might add that my only personal contact with Feynman was at a meeting of
the American Physical Society where he presented his black hole theory of
the nucleus. It was wrong.
Bill Silvert
----- Original Message -----
From: "Wayne Tyson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, February 21, 2008 5:58 AM
Subject: [ECOLOG-L] Ecology and Theory and Evidence and Limitations and so
on Re: [ECOLOG-L] Anderson's new book,
There's one distinction that might need to be made, maybe not. When
Feynman said, "If it disagrees with [the?] experiment, it's wrong. In that
simple statement is the
key to science. It doesn't make a difference how beautiful your guess is.
It doesn't make a difference how smart you are, who made the guess or what
his name
is... (laughter) If it disagrees with [the?] experiment, it's wrong.
That's all there is to it." I hope everyone who reads this list
understands that Feynman means that the guess is wrong if the experiment
demonstrates otherwise (not the experiment), or that if I am mistaken in
this presumption that I will be corrected. I suspect that a transcript of
Feynman's lecture, especially a fragment thereof, could be misinterpreted
in the absence of the context of the actual lecture, even Feynman's way of
expressing himself.
