--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "curtisdeltablues" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > "I think we may be saying something roughly similar, > except that I don't know whether you put much stock > in intuition." > > I definitely do, although I may or may not have more limits on how far > that can go. In the field of psychology and human behavior, intuition > seems to be a critical tool. I don't believe that they intuit the > future exactly, but I'll bet they can detect trends in behavior that > have a good chance of leading somewhere predictable. If a person goes > to bed drunk with a gun under their pillow every night, and is in an > abusive relationship, my intuition tells me that someday, someone may > get shot.
Or common sense. Which is subject to a lot of cognitive biases. But this is not an area devoid of scientific inquiry. Qualified psychologists / psychiatrists could tell you the same andmuch more. With higher statistical reliability. > There are many more subtle character trends I think highly > empathetic people can detect no matter what their field. > > > The thing with people like Kurtz, I suspect, is that > > his predisposition to dismiss astrology (and other such > > endeavors) has kept him from examining what *good* > > astrology looks like. In effect, at least partly, he's > > dismissing a straw man. > > That wouldn't surprise me. I think it is up to astrology to present a > better case or show an interest in good studies. The arrogance of the > position that "we already know it is true so we don't have to prove it > to you" is a problem in many fields, some claiming to be scientific. > Paul may be placing the burden of proof on others to present claims in > a way that is falsifiable. Why should Paul accept astrology if no strong and valid studies have been presented? I think the rational view is to be skeptical of unsubstantiated claims and hypotheses, but not to reject them outright until valid studies have indicated such. From what I have viewed, in the domain of jyotish, there are no good studies rejecting the null hypotheses, not any that fail to. Its an area good science has not touched. Frankly, I am open to it -- from "subjective experience" -- but would never try to convince a Kurtz that it has value. To me it has value, outside its predicitive ability (or lack there of). Like a cross-word or other puzzle, it exercises the mind in odd and different ways. Opening up new synapes. > If they are not willing to present it in > this manor then their sincerity is automatically questioned by many > skeptics. Of course. If one wants scientific validation then let science validate it in its proven ways. (The mistake of the TMO) > Some good therapist seem to blur the line with their use of > intuition. I think the trick is to make sure there is a test loop to > verify those intuitions and strong feelings. They might be a > fantastic insight into the patient or they might be something else. I > think good, experienced therapists have this down, and bad ones don't. Astrology and jyotish present some interesting, untested, but testable hypotheses. If a therapist uses such today as "given", he is a charlatan. But he needs to conduct the rigorous testing and finds some if any jyotish hypotheses hold up. > Good astrologers might make good therapists if they had the interest > in looking at it with the constraints ethical therapists impose. They > are making claims that could be tested, unlike some other areas of > human experience where they have a more legitimate case about > scientific testing being unsuitable. I also think a lot of therapy > systems are vulnerable to this same criticism. > > Sam Harris likes to point out that many fields of belief like to use > an appearance of science when it suits them, because the scientific > method is part of our deepest intuition about what is credible. But if > you live by that sword... ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Home is just a click away. Make Yahoo! your home page now. http://us.click.yahoo.com/DHchtC/3FxNAA/yQLSAA/UlWolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
