Forum:What If They're Right?
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Whenever I search for this particular phrase on this wiki, nothing seems to come up. Is it because no one here wants to entertain such a thing? That "they" could actually be right? And by "they", I mean obviously the opponents of rationalism. Pseudo-scientists and woo-peddlers, religious fundies, conspiracy nuts, even the dreaded "manosphere", of which I've been observing much of late!
Okay, I'm not really defending any of the above schools of thought, just wondering why that simple little phrase never seems to come up. Maybe it can be it's own "Fun Page". Kinda like DC's Elseworlds or Marvel's "What If..."? Flame me if you must, I'm just pondering out loud. Chair tater (talk) 21:35, 21 July 2014 (UTC)
- because they aren't--Miekal 22:19, 21 July 2014 (UTC)
- If they're right, then we're right. That is to say, if science brings us to understand that homeopathy works, vaccines cause autism and that humans came into being in pretty much their current form 6000 years ago, then science will tear up the outdated knowledge and proceed with studying reality based on this new knowledge. As Keynes said, "When my information changes, I alter my conclusions. What do you do, sir?" Until then, it's not worth talking about. Father Vivian O'Blivion talk
23:54, 21 July 2014 (UTC)
- The question is really a variation of Pascal's Wager. The main problem with that of course is that you need to ask "which god?" So we start with Occam's Razor and assume that the simplest non-magical answer is probably the correct one. If any what we label woo is actually true then there will be evidence and we will accept it as a natural phenomenon. If you held an ambivalent view of every possibility then you would never progress. It is important to build your worldview on repeatably proven principles and take it from there. It's only when we started doing that that science was able to progress to our urgent understanding of the world.
ГенгисIs the Pope a Catholic? 07:12, 22 July 2014 (UTC)
- The question is really a variation of Pascal's Wager. The main problem with that of course is that you need to ask "which god?" So we start with Occam's Razor and assume that the simplest non-magical answer is probably the correct one. If any what we label woo is actually true then there will be evidence and we will accept it as a natural phenomenon. If you held an ambivalent view of every possibility then you would never progress. It is important to build your worldview on repeatably proven principles and take it from there. It's only when we started doing that that science was able to progress to our urgent understanding of the world.
- If they're right, then we're right. That is to say, if science brings us to understand that homeopathy works, vaccines cause autism and that humans came into being in pretty much their current form 6000 years ago, then science will tear up the outdated knowledge and proceed with studying reality based on this new knowledge. As Keynes said, "When my information changes, I alter my conclusions. What do you do, sir?" Until then, it's not worth talking about. Father Vivian O'Blivion talk
