List of pseudoscience topics from Wikipedia

[Thurnez Isa]

Also, TI: What the gibbering fuck are you talking about? "Science can't exist within certainties"?  

Sorry,
It's probably very poorly worded on my part.
I can't fix it right now though cause I gotta take off.

[Bebek Sincap Ratatosk]

On the other hand, I have no direct evidence that the world is spherical.

With all due respect, you've never done the experiments.  All science should be able to be replicated with enough resources and time, but most of us tend to draw a line of trust at a certain point.

Also, TI: What the gibbering fuck are you talking about? "Science can't exist within certainties"?  

Science can deal with functional certainties... ie. Close enough for human thinking. But I don't think that certainty is really even the 'goal' of science. Science is a process of refining ideas based on observation:

Question: Is there certainty in science?

Sam Harris:  Certainty is, I think, a false goal.  I mean we're not achieving . . .  We're achieving functional certainties in science and in just . . . in our day-to-day lives.  I mean it's a functional certainty that I'm sitting here talking to you, though it's possible I could be dreaming or, you know, deceived by an evil demon.  Those kinds of philosophical, ______ worries don't really relate too much to the ordinary practice of science, the very useful practice of science, and our ordinary task of just negotiating our lives and finding happiness in this world.  We recognize that there's a range . . . that there's a continuum of, "I'm not sure, there's a coin toss, fifty-fifty" understanding of a circumstance to being functionally certain about what is so.  And many people are pretending to be functionally certain, or believe themselves to be functionally certain about things like Jesus is gonna come back and judge the world in their lifetime.  Twenty percent of the American population claims to be functionally certain that that is gonna come to pass, and 78% think that Jesus is gonna come back sometime – not necessarily in their lifetime.  And these certainties do real work for us.  I mean the person who is certain that the soul enters the zygote at the moment of conception is the person who wants to veto stem cell research, despite the fact that tens of millions of people are suffering from conditions for which stem cell research is the best line of research to generate therapies.  So these are ideas that are not just of academic interest, or person, private, or spiritual relevance.  I mean these are shaping policy.  They're shaping a national conversation.  And then when you look to the Muslim world, they are causing people to blow themselves up on street corners.

Recorded on: July 4 2007

[Thurnez Isa]

To be honest I probably should have kept my mouth shut cause although Im not in a rush Im busy tearing apart my desk looking for a prescription.

[Doktor Howl]

With all due respect, you've never done the experiments.  

This is exactly my point.

I have neither seen the world from space, nor have I gone to alledged "other countries" for the purpose of taking measurements.

As I said, I have no direct evidence.  I'm not stating that the world isn't a sphere, I'm saying that all the observations I can make, combined with what I know about the universe indicates that a sphere, a contact lens shape, and a carrot shape are all equally possible.

[Doktor Howl]

I can name at least two absolute certainties that science can claim.

[Adios]

I'm still not convinced the earth spins on it's axis like everybody claims.

[Doktor Howl]

I'm still not convinced the earth spins on it's axis like everybody claims.

What axis?

[LMNO]

I honestly can't say for sure that the universe doesn't disappear when I blink.


And I am now aware of every time I blink.  And so are you.

[Adios]

I'm still not convinced the earth spins on it's axis like everybody claims.

What axis?

The Fifth Reich, silly.

[East Coast Hustle]

I'm still not convinced the earth spins on it's axis like everybody claims.

What axis?

The Fifth Reich, silly.

first i was like

then I was like

[Doktor Howl]

I honestly can't say for sure that the universe doesn't disappear when I blink.


And I am now aware of every time I blink.  And so are you.

I should probably mention that Jeff and I have been shooting each other with the stunner all morning (I nailed him first, and I have to report that even when unprepared, he didn't shit himself.  Failure.), and my thinking seems a little different.  It occurs to me that teachers and politicians have lied to me about everything else, so why not this?  So, while I'm prepared to accept that the world is spherical in nature, I'm not totally sold on the concept, either.

Another possibility is that this argument is an elaborate lead up to a joke I thought of, and nobody's biting.

One or the other.

[Doktor Howl]

I'm still not convinced the earth spins on it's axis like everybody claims.

What axis?

The Fifth Reich, silly.

CB OWNS DIS FREAD.

[Adios]

I'm still not convinced the earth spins on it's axis like everybody claims.

What axis?

The Fifth Reich, silly.

first i was like

then I was like

[Adios]

I'm still not convinced the earth spins on it's axis like everybody claims.

What axis?

The Fifth Reich, silly.

CB OWNS DIS FREAD.

My neurons fired on that one.

[LMNO]

Another possibility is that this argument is an elaborate lead up to a joke I thought of, and nobody's biting.

Damn, I'm missing this one.