What Is Bad Science?

cannabineer

Ursus marijanus
How do you figure evolution to be "the world's lamest theory"? It has withstood some impressive challenges. cn
 

mindphuk

Well-Known Member
How do you figure evolution to be "the world's lamest theory"? It has withstood some impressive challenges. cn
He's most likely a fundie that believes all of the "problems" with evolution that Kent Hovind and his ilk propogate. He's unaware that evolution is the basis for all of modern biology and is one of the most successful scientific theories ever developed.
 

sonar

Well-Known Member
I think where a lot of non-scientists go wrong is by using a correlational data to determine causality.

Example: "Studies have shown people sleep less tend to live longer than people who sleep more."

John Q Citizen reading this might think "well, something about sleep must cause death" without realizing there are other factors. People who sleep less are probably more active and get more exercise. People who sleep more might be sickly and sleep more because of their condition.

One of the first thing I learned in reseach methodology and clinical is to never use a correlation to determine causality.
 

Doer

Well-Known Member
Evolution is bad science if you want to go so far as to call the worlds lamest theory science
Well, I'm a computer scientist. How lame is that? :)

Seriously, have you noticed that the highest it goes is Theory. Ideas are tested again and again.
There really is no other reasonable conclusion. And the evidence continues to mount.

If you were to look at evolution as the origin of species, without bias, it's very easy to see how the timescales and the structures of nature link together. It's a very painstaking, though incomplete record.

Do you have anything but the religious objection? And if you have that, don't you realize that religion of the day set up that objection? No critique of religion is implied.

Nobody understanding the evidence is or was objecting to any religious belief. My awe of Creation, as puny as it is, at least let's me see it as grand enough to use evolution as a tool.
 

sonar

Well-Known Member
Did anyone see the Discovery Channel special a few months back with Stephen Hawking where he goes into his theories on how the universe was created without the use of a God. Very interesting. I'm surprised they had the balls to air something like that.
 

PbHash

Active Member
There is a lot of bad science floating around this website, seriously I can't believe some of the crap people think is fact. To me the rise of pseudoscience is cause by a lack of critical thinking by the masses. I just want to punch people in the teeth when they "well evolution is just a theory" what next "gravity is just a theory".

Is there a name for what I call the the "faith fallacy". When creationist say "I have faith, but you can't see it or test it, and I can't tell you why I have it" maybe it's special pleading but I want to give it a new name, Being an Idiot. I have a lot of faith, faith the sun will rise, faith my car will run on gas, faith that I will shit on a regular basis. These faiths are based on observation. Idiot faith is when you have never observed it but expect it. Example faith that I will win the lotto without buying a ticket, it's prob never happened.
 

canndo

Well-Known Member
This is how I feel about the Big Bang Theory. Every time I hear it mentioned, it is referenced more as accepted fact than theory.
.

I get a kick out of this line of reasoning. Gee, every time I hear about the theory of gravity or the theory of flight it is referenced more as accepted fact than theory.
 

canndo

Well-Known Member
The earth centered universe and the flat earth ideas were supported by the leading minds of the time, were they not?
An earth centered universe and a flat earth were ideas that far predated Frances Bacon and the scientific method, they were suppositions or ideas and nothing more, they are not to be considered as comparisons with scientific theory.
 

researchkitty

Well-Known Member
Not only that they were supported by the leading minds, not scientists, because the word scientist hadnt even been invented till after the 1820's. :-)
 

PbHash

Active Member
Where do you think pseudoscience is most prevalent. I would say, antivaccine people, paranormal investigators, alternative medicine. All of these get my blood boiling.

I would challeng anyone to convince me that the MMR vaccine is bad or ghosts are real. I love debating this stuff usually because I like to read the crap people believe.
 

Heisenberg

Well-Known Member
Where do you think pseudoscience is most prevalent. I would say, antivaccine people, paranormal investigators, alternative medicine. All of these get my blood boiling.

I would challeng anyone to convince me that the MMR vaccine is bad or ghosts are real. I love debating this stuff usually because I like to read the crap people believe.
These things are generally discussed in the spirituality, sexuality, philosophy sub-forum. We can always use another voice of reason. There has been several discussions of ghosts, a bit about CAM, but so far no vaccine nuts.

I have to say god theory trumps all of those.
 

PbHash

Active Member
I kinda group the god stuff with ghosts, I'll head over to some of those threads to check out the garbage floating around
 

cannabineer

Ursus marijanus
I always get a bit upset when I hear the word "energy" applied to spirit-action. Imo it is nothing less/better than an effort to legitimize a belief in magic by appropriating the language of science. Thing about energy is ... it is definible, measurable, entirely describable in mundane/material terms. Jmo. cn
 

Heisenberg

Well-Known Member
I always get a bit upset when I hear the word "energy" applied to spirit-action. Imo it is nothing less/better than an effort to legitimize a belief in magic by appropriating the language of science. Thing about energy is ... it is definible, measurable, entirely describable in mundane/material terms. Jmo. cn

One of my first threads... How naive I was thinking that would be the last time i'd have to explain it.

https://www.rollitup.org/spirituality-sexuality-philosophy/388385-correct-use-word-energy.html
 
Top