19 MAY 2011 by ideonexus
Many Hypotheses Become Theories
The distinction between the two dictionary meanings of 'theory' is not an unbridgeable chasm, as many historical examples show. In the history of science, theorums often start off as 'mere' hypotheses. Like the theory of continental drift, an idea may even begin its career mired in ridicule, before progressing by painful steps to the status of a theorum or undisputed fact. This is not a philosophically difficult point. The fact that some widely held past beliefs have been conclusively proved ...Beliefs about things are often proven false, but evolution and heliocentric theory are here to stay.
01 JAN 2010 by ideonexus
The Science Haves and Have-Nots
Today the greatest divide within humanity is not between races, or religions, or even, as widely believes, between the literate and illiterate. It is the chasm that separates scientific from prescientific cultures. Without the instruments and accumulated knowledge of the natural sciences--physics, chemistry, and biology--humans are trapped in a cognitive prison. They are like intelligent fish born in a deep, shadowed pool. Wondering and restless, longing to reach out, they think about the wor...Folksonomies: spiritual naturalism
Folksonomies: spiritual naturalism
Without science, people are trapped within a "cognitive prison".