Bill sez: > Now hold on right there. > > All of us on vortex are SUPPOSED to assume that it's a conventional > effect. If we did not, then we'd become true crackpots: the kind who are > so in love with Weird Discoveries that we stop questioning our own > assumptions, stop critiquing our own work, and become hostile and > defensive if anyone else dares point out its flaws. > > We're all very human, and it's far too easy to fall into a huge ego trap. > This is the "inventors disease" where we decide that we've made a great > discovery which will bring fame and fortune. And then we start ignoring > all evidence that our discovery is odd but conventional. To avoid this > "ego-inflation disease," we simply have to be ruthlessly self-critical. > (And that's what separates science from all other diciplines: we carefully > criticize our own ideas, as opposed to defending them from all attack.) > > True skepticism is the way to go, and it's all about self-criticism. In > other words, assume that your "great discovery" is actually something > conventional, and then investigate it very carefully to see if this is > actually the case. The goal is to avoid self-delusion by puncturing the > egoistic fantasies of fame and fortune. It's the only way to see the > outside world with any accuracy. >
Well said. It's one of the most difficult lessons to learn in a life time. The lure of fame and fortune are both seductive and addictive. Without a properly grounded sense of neutrality the seductive lure of fame and fortune will inevitably skew one's perception of the discovery process. At present all I can say is that I remain fascinated by what I've seen of Ron's work. Maybe even a tad encouraged as well. All the more reason to keep Occam's razor in mind. Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com
