Omnivorous
Member Posts: 3988 From: Adirondackia Joined: 07-21-2005 Member Rating: 6.9
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Message 164 of 300 (424127)
09-25-2007 6:17 PM
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Reply to: Message 125 by CTD
09-21-2007 11:28 PM
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A Foundational Case of Peer Review and Theory Revision
CTD writes: I did think of one more thing evolution 'theories', big bang 'theories', and abiogenesis 'theories' all have in common: they're all continually being revised. What's yesterday's 'fact' is today's rubbish in all three cases. This is a true story. [1] When the storm passed, Harg saw the burning tree. He alone drew near, for the others were fearful plodders. Though the air was still raw from the late autumn rain, and his fingers and toes cold and sore, the fire brought him comfort. But soon the fire began to die, and Harg felt the cold creep back like a patient snake. Suddenly, the tree, weakened by the fire, collapsed--some of the upper branches fell into the ashes, the fire erupted anew, and again Harg felt the good heat. Ronk, Grawl and Bam, who had at first cowered well back, edged closer. They, too, felt the good heat. Excitedly, Harg told them how piling new things on fire would keep it alive--they could always have the good heat and light! Ronk, Grawl and Bam chattered to each other in wonder at Harg's words. If they were true, Harg would gain great mojo and sex, some of which they could claim for themselves. Eventually, Ronk's eyes widened with wild surmise, and he began piling stones on the fire. And the fire began to die. Ronk, Grawl and Bam hooted derisively, giving Harg noogies and pulling his nose. Then they walked away. Puzzled and dejected, Harg stood beside the embers, seeing again in his mind's eye the upper branches crashing down and renewing the fire. Where had he gone wrong? He remembered the falling branches and considered the nonburning stones. His gaze flicked back and forth from the branches which had fallen away from the fire and the stones, and he thought, "One of these things is not like the other..." [...a quaintly annoying melody whistled in his nose...a big bird sang...] With growing excitement, Harg seized a branch and threw it in the embers. Soon, flames rose anew, and Harg collected more branches. Once the fire was roaring again, Harg seized a burning branch and turned, shouting in triumph, waving his torch and crashing it down again onto the fire in a great shower of sparks-- [..for the first time, the best parts of Also Sprach Zarathustra were heard in the world...] --which ignited his greasy mammoth robe. Thus it was that the Great Fire-Bringer Harg died that day. But Ronk, Grawl and Bam had seen that not just any new thing would keep the fire alive, but only branches, and so the people kept heat and light forever. Late in his life, Ronk would discover that not only branches and mammoth robes would burn but also any kind of wood and some kinds of poop. His work met with great resistance, however, because it was smelly. Thus, he is, perhaps unjustly, remembered now primarily as Stinky Ronk the Poop Smoke Maker. [1] Tip o' the Hat to Archer for the notion of musical scores.
Real things always push back.-William James
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| This message is a reply to: | | | Message 125 by CTD, posted 09-21-2007 11:28 PM | | CTD has not replied |
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