Re Another from science Nyc

["Dave Farber" <dave () farber net>]

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: John Day <jeanjour () comcast net>
Date: Tue, Apr 25, 2017 at 10:29 AM
Subject: Re: [IP] Re Another from science Nyc
To: Dave Farber <farber () gmail com>


Bill is right.

The only *truths* are in mathematics.  They are all tautologies which have
no meaning.

We ascribe meaning to these mathematical statements, but they are only
models representing our current hypotheses (theories) about certain
invariant properties.
(When people object to this statement, my retort is to write F=ma and ask
what this is. They say Newton’s 3rd law or words to that effect. But I
correct them that  it is the equation I use to compute the yield of my corn
field, where a is acres, m is kg of corn/acre and of course F is the
resulting amount of food.)

When the creationists wanted to put stickers in the science textbooks
saying, Evolution is just a theory.  I thought that we should insist on
more stickers!  F=ma is just a theory. That the aerodynamic equations that
tell us how to build airplanes are just a theory!  E=mc^2 is just a theory.
Maxwell’s equations are just a theory, etc etc. Hundreds of stickers! ;-)
It would be a good lesson for kids. If the creationists don’t like theories
they shouldn’t fly in airplanes or go into houses or office buildings
because to some extent there are theories holding them up. ;-)

However, I do understand the intent of the scientist on NPR who made that
statement.  Whether or not you believe in the theory, it is very likely
going to be continue to affect your life.  For decades, geologists didn’t
believe in continental drift,* but they kept moving! ;-) When a theory has
been consistently verified, we do begin to rely on it working until we find
ways to poke holes in it. Generally holes that turn up outside the
boundaries it was intended for.

BTW along these lines, there is a great running gag in Tom Stoppard’s
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead to the effect that scientific
principles only work within certain bounds.  Which of course is true of the
examples I gave above with one exception at least so far.

The head of one of our projects recently introduced a workshop on the
project by saying the purpose of the project was to prove John Day wrong. I
completely agree. We can never prove our theories right, we can only prove
them wrong. I have been lucky so far, the project has been a “failure!"
 ;-)  But the failures have been very useful!  ;-)

John

* Before you correct me that it is plate tectonics not continental drift.
This is the kind of refinement that comes with a paradigm shift of this
nature. The initial idea was that continents moved, deeper investigation
showed that it was plates that moved, the continents were floating on the
plates. But the continents were still moving whether or not they were just
along for the ride. ;-)


On Apr 24, 2017, at 22:57, Dave Farber <dave () farber net> wrote:

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Bill Janssen <janssen () parc com>
Date: Mon, Apr 24, 2017 at 4:13 PM
Subject: Re: [IP] Re Another from science Nyc
To: <dave () farber net>
Cc: ip <ip () listbox com>, <janssen () parc com>


Sadly, more fake news from the mainstream media!  (Harumph!)

Science is a process, a cycle of measurement and theorization, and thus
has no truth value.  In fact, there are no facts!  Only theories, the
reliability of which depends on how well they fit the measurements, what
kinds of things they predict and how often those predictions have been
verified by observation.

If you're going to march for something, understand it.  (Harumph!)

Bill

> ---------- Forwarded message ---------
> From: John Day <jeanjour () comcast net>
> Date: Sat, Apr 22, 2017 at 2:22 PM
> Subject: Re: [IP] Another
> To: Dave Farber <farber () gmail com>
>
>
> I liked the comment I heard on NPR a couple of days ago:
>
> Science is true whether you believe it or not.  ;-)
>
>
> > On Apr 22, 2017, at 13:06, Dave Farber <farber () gmail com> wrote:
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > <FullSizeRender.jpg.jpeg>

http://www.listbox.com
>
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