Re: [Leica] Two cultures

[John Collier <jbcollier@home.com>]

Alas Erwin, I have not heard the same wonderful things about the scientific
method chappies you think so highly of. The chaps I have met, or studied up
on, seem pretty human to me. They act just like other groups of people,
resist new ideas, preach hearsay as fact and fight like cats and dogs
amongst themselves. There have been very few new ideas that have not been
met with scorn and derision by the scientific establishment. Plate
tectonics, theory of relativity, quantum mechanics, quantum field
theory....I could go on and on. Science can be as much about personality as
any other area of human endeavour. Are there people out there with
inquisitive minds that try not to moved by their biases? Of course, but they
are found through out society from the lowest wrungs and up. The badge of
scientist says nothing about a person's character, morals or merits any more
than being a mechanic or priest does.

John Collier

> From: "Erwin Puts" <imxputs@knoware.nl>

> 
> We have since the earliest of times two cultures: one is committed to
> find the truth by reasoning and fact finding disregarding ones own ideas,
> and the world of science is full of people who, confronted by facts, had to
> restate theories and revise opinions. And they gladly did, because the
> search for truth is above the personal conviction. The other culture is the
> world of superstition and believe. We all know what this amounts to: from
> witch hunting to Mc Carthy groups of individuals have tried to suppress the
> free flow of facts and ideas, because they did not like the content. No
> proof ever was needed, just the simple rule, that person A does not want to
> hear what person B has to say and so B is suspect and considered insulting
> to person A.