Thanks Chris. I think you're right that arguing over whether we should refer to psychological findings - even solidly replicatable ones - as laws is not worth our time. It looks like the word "law" is used too indescriminantly by scientists and non-scientists alike.
Michael Michael Britt [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.thepsychfiles.com On Aug 12, 2008, at 1:58 PM, Christopher D. Green wrote: > > > > On Aug 12, 2008, at 10:19 AM, Christopher D. Green wrote: > >> Why would these be "laws" and, say, the graphs associated with >> Skinner's >> schedules of reinforcement, not be? Why are these "laws" and Flynn's >> discoveries about the rise in intelligence an "effect"? (an >> "effect" of >> what? time?) > > Paul Brandon wrote: >> One reason might be that Flynn's observations are restricted to one >> specific situation, whereas Skinner's have been shown to generalize >> across situations. >> >> > I think you misread my message, Paul. Neither Skinner's nor Flynn's > work are usually called "laws." > > To reiterate my main point, however, I don't think there is much > point to this distinction. > Darwin's and Einstein's "theories" are far broader and scope and far > more firmly established than *anything* in psychology, and yet they > are not called "laws." More than anything else, I think the term > "law" has to do with the scientific fashion at the time such claims > are first enunciated. For instance, Newtonians were attempting to > challenge the hegemony of "Divine Law" and so countered with > "Scientific Law," but by the time Darwin was accepted, and Einstein > had come along, scientists had pretty much a become fallibilists, > and so "theory" seemed more appropriate to (the public presentation > of) that sort of epistemic humility. > > Psychologists, sad to say, have often been a little over-reaching in > their assertions of certainty, and so have occasionally claimed > "laws" in an attempt to boost their scientific status. > > And we can all see how well that has worked... :-) > > Chris > -- > Christopher D. Green > Department of Psychology > York University > Toronto, ON M3J 1P3 > Canada > > 416-736-2100 ex. 66164 > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://www.yorku.ca/christo/ > > > "Part of respecting another person is taking the time to criticise > his or her views." > - Melissa Lane, in a Guardian obituary for philosopher Peter Lipton > ================================= > > --- > To make changes to your subscription contact: > > Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
