Talk:Scientific method/Archive 9

message: Intuitionistic logic may be another path out of the impasse, in which Mathematics is used not for ontological purposes, but merely mechanical construction: a very concrete point of view and somewhat anti-ontological. Ancheta Wis 22:09, 1 Jul 2004 (UTC)
thread_title:  Intuitionistic logic 

message: The philosophy section was first written as a counterpoint to the section on the idealise scientific method . Ancheta’s removing that section meant that the philosophy section could be re-written to be less aggressive. Banno 01:24, Jul 10, 2004 (UTC)
Some material has been removed from the experiment  and hypothesis  sections, since it was either repetitive or was dealt with better in the main articles on each. I’ve kept evaluation and iteration together; Each step of the process can be evaluated at any time, and the result would be a re-iteration, so they are almost inseparable. The philosophy section has been re-worked to reflect the independence of a few of the ideas presented. Banno 01:24, Jul 10, 2004 (UTC)
I would characterise the discussions that have occurred on this page as a clash between those who came here expecting to see an explanation of the practice of science, and those who come here expecting to see an explanation of the logic of science. Typically the former are science students or practicing scientists, and the later are from a philosophical or social studies background.Banno 01:24, Jul 10, 2004 (UTC)
The criticisms of logical positivism and empiricism are damming. Very few professional philosophers would advocate either position. Yet other circles naively accepted that philosophically defunct foundation, often on the mistaken supposition that the only alternative is scepticism or the hocus-pocus of post structuralism.  The alternative is to admit that science is a social activity, but to point out that it works. The arguments that support a scientific theory are not found in philosophy, or in some all-powerful methodology, but in the detail of each of the sciences themselves. Science does not need an all powerful method in order to justify itself. It is justified whenever someone turns on a computer or takes a pill. Banno 01:24, Jul 10, 2004 (UTC)
:The scientific method is self-correcting; that is the secret of its power, in the same sense as feedback in process control, which works by eliminating error.Ancheta Wis 03:33, 10 Jul 2004 (UTC)
thread_title: Comments

message: Congratulations to all! I can live with this article now. The first step scientific method#Characterization now has a wonderful connotation: the character of the researcher. By working on a subject, the researcher infuses the statement of the subject with his/her spirit (This concept is due to a comment I once heard from Andrew Joseph Galambos). Thus a careful characterization of gravitation forbade Isaac Newton from hypothesizing about the nature of gravitation; a direct statement of what not why, because he honestly could go no further, and he "left the rest for others who were to come after him". Due to the precision and honesty of his wonderful mind, we enjoy his work today in the workings of our civilization. Ancheta Wis 14:26, 10 Jul 2004 (UTC)
thread_title:  Congratulations