Quoting [EMAIL PROTECTED]: > Mark 20-02-07b: Hi Platt, > Platt: '...if predictions based on so-called science have been wrong about > changes in global climate in the recent past in the past, they can be wrong > now....' > > The example you cite from the 70's isn't wrong; our generation cannot live > long enough to span the geological time necessary to observe the next ice > age. > However, the history of past cycles are written in ice layers for us to > examine. If the cycle continues then another ice age will occur. > > This is how inductive inference works: > "Inductive inferences start with observations of the machine and arrive at > general conclusions. For example, if the cycle goes over a bump and the > engine > misfires, and then goes over another bump and the engine misfires, and then > goes over another bump and the engine misfires, and then goes over a long > smooth stretch of road and there is no misfiring, and then goes over a > fourth > bump and the engine misfires again, one can logically conclude that the > misfiring is caused by the bumps. That is induction: reasoning from > particular > experiences to general truths." ZMM ch. 8 > All i am indicating here is that the 70's example you gave is flawed with > respect to inductive reasoning.
Well, what's it going to be, global warming or global cooling? > I agree with you when you suggest scientific method is fallible. > It is then appropriate to be careful when considering global warming to > remove any shadow of political influence as social patterns of value and > concentrate instead on the intellectual patterns of value. If the > intellectual > patterns of value help us to identify danger, then political patterns will > have > to > do the donkey work of change under intellectual guidance. This seems in > accord with the moq i think you may agree Platt? > > The question remains: Has scientific method identified a danger? Yes. That's the question. And equally qualified scientists disagree about the danger. Personally from what I see as a look around the state of the world, there's much more danger to Western civilization from radical Islam. But, I could be wrong. Regards, Platt ------------------------------------------------- This mail sent through IMP: http://horde.org/imp/ moq_discuss mailing list Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org Archives: http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/
