The Venom in Feds' Vaccinations

Townhall.com ^ | November 8, 2011 | Chuck Norris

[SamuraiScot]

What I'm trying to do is introduce you to the way scientists think.

What I'm trying to tell you is that your explanation of the scientific method is shallow, and is covering what seems to be an attachment to proving a negative concerning autism rates. There's a great book by Karl Stern on Descartes and dualism, which touches a great deal on science, scientism, common sense, and how we know reality, called The Flight from Woman. It's not about women, but rather about everything. In particular, it's about the Manichean distortion of philosophy and science since Descartes. It's an excellent point of reference.

Thanks and best regards.

[exDemMom]

What I'm trying to tell you is that your explanation of the scientific method is shallow, and is covering what seems to be an attachment to proving a negative concerning autism rates. There's a great book by Karl Stern on Descartes and dualism, which touches a great deal on science, scientism, common sense, and how we know reality, called The Flight from Woman. It's not about women, but rather about everything. In particular, it's about the Manichean distortion of philosophy and science since Descartes. It's an excellent point of reference.

My explanation of the scientific method is necessarily limited because of the medium and the audience. I am not writing a research proposal, in which I must explain (with references) the entire background pertaining to my proposed research, explain my hypothess and the reasoning behind them, describe my proposed experimental plan and the results I expect to see if one of my hypotheses is correct or if none of them are, which would be quite lengthy, as well as unreadable for most people. I'm trying to convey as simply as I can to a layperson how a scientist might approach a specific problem.

As for the difference between perception and reality: I can look outside and (sort of) see a big glowy ball. Sometimes, it is down on the horizon. Sometimes, it is located in various portions of the sky. Sometimes, I don't see it at all. Given these observations, my perception is that the big glowy ball moves along a path that encircles the earth.

No offense, but I am not interested in reading the philosophical musings of a psychiatrist. Philosophy annoys me greatly; I far prefer to deal with concrete, observable, measurable facts.