Mike Palij wrote another extended response. Man. Are you retired? lol. My main point was that scientists no less than anyone else have biases. And, like everyone else, tend to select only the references (which presumably contain evidence) that supports their biases. Of course, this is not what ideally happens in science but real life isn't that ideal.
This 'confirmatory bias' is also partly a practical matter since no one has the time to review dozens to hundreds of papers on a particular topic such as the efficacy of spanking, unless it is a primary focus of their research. Rather, most will rely on the "summary" articles (from experts with their own biases) and see no obvious problems with the conclusions if it agrees with their own bias. They will tend NOT to seek out disconfirmatory evidence both because they have little time and little motivation to do so (just like everyone else). So it is in these senses that references can become an appeal to authority because the typical scientist/consumer of the information has not taken the time to carefully look at the evidence (not only the major articles, but probably not even the summary article itself). And so their confidence in the data is not warranted based on careful investigation, but is rather a result of the comfortable feeling of having one's bias "confirmed" and their confidence that Dr. Joe Blow seems to do "good work". Anyway, I am assuming that Michael Sylvester meant something along these lines when bemoaning perhaps this kind of use of "the reference". Of course, I agree, that if you are going to do science then you need to disseminate and communicate results hence the necessity of references. I don't think anyone would argue that references aren't the butter of the 'bread and butter' of the scientific community. It is just the rather uncritical and routine reliance on them that is being contested (and suggested as being what probably happens a great deal more than anyone cares to admit). Wow. I must be getting close to retirement too! --Mike --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu)
