On Sat, 11 May 2013, Joshua Cude wrote:
I'm not interested in an inaccessible (non-archived) list like vortex-b, so I'll just slink away. I may post a few responses to Rothwell's latest replies over on wavewatching.net/fringe if they tolerate it.
Or, just stick with the greater world of weird-but-nonCF subjects, where you see that the evidence is not yet decisive, and there's low chance of triggering a Believer vs. Debunker debate. This isn't a CF-only forum, though it tends to function as one! :)
I push the crackpot-friendly aspect as a long-time experiment in "Provisional Acceptance" of crazy hypotheses. Currently in science, at least where weird topics are concerned, we instead operate with a philosophy of Provisional Disbelief, where we allow the evidence convince us to change our minds. But since disbelief is itself a strong bias, what happens if we test the opposite technique, and provisionally accept weird topics in order to study them? Just try it, and everyone attacks you: "You actually BELIEVE in that crap?!! ANYONE WHO TAKES THAT STUFF SERIOUSLY IS A CRACKPOT." And of course the uncritical Believers want to welcome you into the fold.
This above situation strongly suggests that certain topics have never been given a chance in the past. If each time someone tries to give them a chance, and is stopped by colleages, then we may actually have no idea whether those topics are truely Woo or not, since nobody is allowed to take them seriously enough to properly "do the homework" before making an informed decision. If we have to take on the (perceived) crackpot mantle in order to do proper homework, then that's exactly what's needed: declare oneself to be a True Believer Raving Loonie, then have at it. (Perhaps use a fake name here in order to protect one's professional rep.)
http://amasci.com/weird/vmore.html "Even so, I believe that many scientists have a habit of rejecting new ideas because they unknowingly maintain an illusory worldview which is based on concensus of colleagues, rather than upon evidence, and as a result they become irrational. They become very intolerant of all ideas which violate that consensus, and will instantly and thoughtlessly reject the evidence supporting such ideas. This forum is for scientist-types (including amateurs!) with a low tolerance for anything resembling mob-rule, and a high tolerance for those crazy hypotheses. (((((((((((((((((( ( ( ( ( (O) ) ) ) ) ))))))))))))))))))) William J. Beaty SCIENCE HOBBYIST website billb at amasci com http://amasci.com EE/programmer/sci-exhibits amateur science, hobby projects, sci fair Seattle, WA 206-762-3818 unusual phenomena, tesla coils, weird sci
