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Author Topic:   The Scientific Method For Beginners
Modulous
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Posts: 7799
From: Manchester, UK
Joined: 05-01-2005


Message 136 of 138 (522133)
09-01-2009 11:26 AM
Reply to: Message 135 by Dr Adequate
09-01-2009 10:40 AM


Re: Tentativity
Unfortunately, the scientific method requires us to not take any empirical claim has guaranteed true - even (perhaps especially!?) the ones we are most sure of.
It requires us to take lots of empirical claims as true.
I agree - in order to advance we have to assume certain previous things are true. The use of the word 'guaranteed' was meant to emphatically emphasise that we must be aware of what those assumptions are, and be willing to test, challenge and revise those assumptions.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 135 by Dr Adequate, posted 09-01-2009 10:40 AM Dr Adequate has replied

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 Message 137 by Dr Adequate, posted 09-01-2009 11:57 AM Modulous has seen this message but not replied

  
Dr Adequate
Member (Idle past 274 days)
Posts: 16113
Joined: 07-20-2006


Message 137 of 138 (522135)
09-01-2009 11:57 AM
Reply to: Message 136 by Modulous
09-01-2009 11:26 AM


Re: Tentativity
Your emphasis is on the word "guaranteed". Mine is on the word "take".
Edited by Dr Adequate, : No reason given.

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xongsmith
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Posts: 2574
From: massachusetts US
Joined: 01-01-2009
Member Rating: 5.4


Message 138 of 138 (522309)
09-02-2009 12:51 PM
Reply to: Message 115 by kbertsche
08-29-2009 12:03 AM


Re: theories and facts
Is invoking an exchange of virtual gravitons really any better of a why than invoking a gravitational field described by an inverse square law?

Perhaps it is indeed the limitations of linguistics that has led us to encounter things such as "an exchange of virtual gravitons" in the literature. Whose ghostly cloaking cape does that Masked Higgs Boson wear anyway?
Silly me and here I was, thinking that the "Why" was to be sort of left off to the side of the road for now, in favor of a completing a more thorough description of the "What" and "How".

- xongsmith

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