On 15 Oct 2011 at 12:29, Jim Clark wrote: > I wonder if this situation in physics is analogous to the Bem > controversy in psychology? <snip> What should our current position be? To > accept > as valid until disproven the finding or to be skeptical about it until > it withstands all the criticism? Tough choice
The choice is not between accepting a finding as valid or rejecting it until proven. We can and should continue to be skeptical about a highly controversial result (faster-than-light particles, or precognition), while reserving judgement about any particular claim to have debunked it. Has van Elburg really discovered the critical flaw in the evidence advanced for speedy neutrinos? Or is there more merit in one of the ideas of the other 80 or so papers? This is where peer review will help us decide. Plus more experimentation. Consider this paragraph "So what is the satellites' motion with respect to the OPERA experiment? These probes orbit from West to East in a plane inclined at 55 degrees to the equator. Significantly, that's roughly in line with the neutrino flight path. Their relative motion is then easy to calculate. " (from http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/arxiv/27260/ ). What happens if the neutrino measurements are take along a different path, say one oriented 180 deg to that of the original experiment? Do we still get speedy neutrinos? Or ones that really drag their tails? The explanation offered by van Elburg itself requires experimental test. Until it receives it, we should be skeptical about it, too. In particular, we should avoid pronouncing that the problem is "likely solved". Stephen -------------------------------------------- Stephen L. Black, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology, Emeritus Bishop's University Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada e-mail: sblack at ubishops.ca --------------------------------------------- --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=13452 or send a blank email to leave-13452-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
