Science vs. Ideology (was Re: foucault? relativist? ROTFL!)

Carl Remick carlremick at hotmail.com
Tue Nov 2 07:16:20 PST 1999



>... because scientific theories are consistently
>overthrown, it might seem that they are each delusions. But it would be
>more appropriate to say that they are ever more refined approximations
>of the essence of the matter.

Jim, I think this concept of "ever more refined" is misleading. You give the impression that scientific understanding advances in pretty much a straight line, with successive theories tugging this way and that but following the same general trajectory. That sure isn't the way science seems to proceed in, e.g., the health sciences -- whose contrary findings the public is pummelled with constantly. It's a rare day that people aren't counselled to take some nutritional precaution that is the *precise opposite* of what people were advised to do the day before.

Carl

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