On 01/05/2010 04:57 PM, Steven Krivit wrote: > At 08:41 AM 1/5/2010, you wrote: >> Wikipedia's use of CF as an example for 'science by concensus' and >> 'burden of proof'... >> >> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burden_of_proof >> About 4/5s the way down the page. >> >> "Examples in science >> >> As a general rule, the less coherent and less embedded within >> conventional knowledge a claim >> appears, the heavier the burden of proof lies on the person asserting >> the claim. ***The scientific >> consensus on cold fusion is a good example.*** The majority of >> physicists believe cold fusion is not >> possible, since it would force the alteration or abandonment of a >> great many other tested and >> generally accepted theories about nuclear physics." >> >> -Mark > > Mark, > > It would be helpful if more people distinguished between the *theory* of > "cold fusion" from the observations of low-energy nuclear reaction > experimental evidence. The /_theory of cold fusion_/ - like-charged > atomic nuclei joining together at room-temperature - may never get > accepted. It would be unfortunate if the non-acceptance of the /_theory > of cold fusion_/ impedes the acceptance of LENR. > > Does this make sense?
No. The "theory of cold fusion" would be a theory explaining how such nuclei join, not simply the assertion that they do join. The assertion that fusion happens at room temperature is a simple binary statement, and is either true or false; it's quite different from what is meant by a "theory". The question of whether "cold fusion" -- the joining of like-charged nuclei at room temperature -- actually happens is a simple question of fact and, assuming it does, one would hope strongly that the fact of its existence is eventually accepted. In any case the existence of cold fusion wouldn't require the abandonment of "many ... generally accepted theories" any more than the existence of superconductivity did. Extensions to theories, for sure, but that's all -- it's not at all like the hydrino, whose non-existence is directly predicted by modern quantum theory. > > -Steve
