On Sun, Aug 19, 2012 at 4:42 AM, Peter Gluck <peter.gl...@gmail.com> wrote:
I apologize for the first part of no interest for LENR, but something > frightening > has happened- it seems that a gang of local politicians, leftists and > rightists united > have stolen or bought second hand our MMMM and try to apply it very fast. > I fear > they cannot be stopped and this makes the future very dim. I had to write > about this > as a citizen. > The negative comments in your first section are well-taken, Peter. I would just add that I think "celebrity," as you refer to it, has an important role for someone trying to make sense of the traffic going through this forum, in particular. It is an unrealistic ideal to ask people to rely upon their own competence and expertise, from start to finish, when it comes to a difficult problem like LENR (or, LENR+, if you like). Presumably it is possible for a nonspecialist to have reasonable assurance that a problem has advanced through one or more of these stages: 1. As one claim in a huge mass of claims about anything under the sun. 2. As something for which there is prima facie evidence that sets it apart from all of the other unsubstantiated claims. 3. As something that has received rigorous, independent confirmation. 4. As a verified phenomenon the existence of which there is general consensus. It is very difficult for a nonspecialist, on his or her own, to know whether a phenomenon has moved from (1) to (2). If you are not to overreach the limitations of your own knowledge and experience, you will have to rely upon the expertise of others who seem trustworthy to you. Such people can obviously make mistakes or have a conflict of interest, so you will not get a free ride, here, and you obviously can't just be an unthinking fanbot. But the scope of human knowledge is far too large for a nonspecialist to effectively go it alone. In light of that, I don't see a problem with referring to and relying upon authorities, all else being equal. They are just people that you trust are particularly competent. An implication is that you will want to be careful in who you choose to trust. Eric
