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	<title>Comments on: Thought experiment is not science</title>
	<link>http://thinkevolution.net/archives/57</link>
	<description></description>
	<pubDate>Sat, 22 Nov 2008 05:11:31 +0000</pubDate>
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		<title>By: AS</title>
		<link>http://thinkevolution.net/archives/57#comment-21</link>
		<author>AS</author>
		<pubDate>Tue, 15 May 2007 19:24:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid>http://thinkevolution.net/archives/57#comment-21</guid>
					<description>Seriously.  This dude is an utter buffoon.  And he seems to take pride in simply not engaging with other thinkers on the subject.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Seriously.  This dude is an utter buffoon.  And he seems to take pride in simply not engaging with other thinkers on the subject.</p>
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		<title>By: blah</title>
		<link>http://thinkevolution.net/archives/57#comment-22</link>
		<author>blah</author>
		<pubDate>Tue, 15 May 2007 19:25:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid>http://thinkevolution.net/archives/57#comment-22</guid>
					<description>Obviously it's a hypothesis, but what right do you have to call it pseudoscience. That's ridiculous. This guy has a developed a reasonable explanation for the origins of belief, a logical hypothesis. He claims, in his own opinion, that he "believes" this to be true. There is the magic word. Stop being pretentious.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Obviously it&#8217;s a hypothesis, but what right do you have to call it pseudoscience. That&#8217;s ridiculous. This guy has a developed a reasonable explanation for the origins of belief, a logical hypothesis. He claims, in his own opinion, that he &#8220;believes&#8221; this to be true. There is the magic word. Stop being pretentious.</p>
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		<title>By: NBP</title>
		<link>http://thinkevolution.net/archives/57#comment-23</link>
		<author>NBP</author>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 May 2007 17:08:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid>http://thinkevolution.net/archives/57#comment-23</guid>
					<description>So, is it the fact that he calls himself a scientist - and his conclusions scientific - your only concern? If he called it a religious belief, would that be acceptable?  After all, then it does not have to be proven; leap of faith and all that?  Can any of his conclusions be proven?</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>So, is it the fact that he calls himself a scientist - and his conclusions scientific - your only concern? If he called it a religious belief, would that be acceptable?  After all, then it does not have to be proven; leap of faith and all that?  Can any of his conclusions be proven?</p>
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		<title>By: ABP</title>
		<link>http://thinkevolution.net/archives/57#comment-24</link>
		<author>ABP</author>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 May 2007 17:38:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid>http://thinkevolution.net/archives/57#comment-24</guid>
					<description>Hi Mom,

Yes, my concern is only that he implies that his conclusions are scientific.  (Haven't read the book, so maybe he is much more careful in his argument there.) 

In this case, I would say that the words "know" or "understand" denote fact-based evidence, but the word "believe" denotes faith, or conviction despite a lack of fact-based evidence.  I've got no problem with a scientist with "beliefs," but it's important not to call a conviction of faith a scientific fact.  My overall criticism is that Wolpert probably doesn't consider his perspective in the belief category at all (notwithstanding "blah's" post).  He claims to argue from "evidence," but I don't think anyone could ever accumulate the right kind of evidence to prove things one way or another.

In short, whether tool use encouraged a cause-and-effect sort of worldview in early humans and led to a biologically-based propensity for religion is simply an untestable hypothesis.  Fascinating?  Yes!  An academic topic?  Why not.  But testable by means of rigorous science?  Nope.

Thanks for the comment!</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hi Mom,</p>
<p>Yes, my concern is only that he implies that his conclusions are scientific.  (Haven&#8217;t read the book, so maybe he is much more careful in his argument there.) </p>
<p>In this case, I would say that the words &#8220;know&#8221; or &#8220;understand&#8221; denote fact-based evidence, but the word &#8220;believe&#8221; denotes faith, or conviction despite a lack of fact-based evidence.  I&#8217;ve got no problem with a scientist with &#8220;beliefs,&#8221; but it&#8217;s important not to call a conviction of faith a scientific fact.  My overall criticism is that Wolpert probably doesn&#8217;t consider his perspective in the belief category at all (notwithstanding &#8220;blah&#8217;s&#8221; post).  He claims to argue from &#8220;evidence,&#8221; but I don&#8217;t think anyone could ever accumulate the right kind of evidence to prove things one way or another.</p>
<p>In short, whether tool use encouraged a cause-and-effect sort of worldview in early humans and led to a biologically-based propensity for religion is simply an untestable hypothesis.  Fascinating?  Yes!  An academic topic?  Why not.  But testable by means of rigorous science?  Nope.</p>
<p>Thanks for the comment!</p>
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		<title>By: thinkevolution.net &#187; Blog Archive &#187; Another naughty example by the NYTimes</title>
		<link>http://thinkevolution.net/archives/57#comment-716</link>
		<author>thinkevolution.net &#187; Blog Archive &#187; Another naughty example by the NYTimes</author>
		<pubDate>Thu, 20 Sep 2007 19:52:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid>http://thinkevolution.net/archives/57#comment-716</guid>
					<description>[...] it&#8217;s so full of flimsy logic. Of course it&#8217;s just the latest article among many (e.g. 1,2,3) that have inappropriately invoked adaptive explanations for complex human [...]</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>[&#8230;] it&#8217;s so full of flimsy logic. Of course it&#8217;s just the latest article among many (e.g. 1,2,3) that have inappropriately invoked adaptive explanations for complex human [&#8230;]</p>
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		<title>By: werutzb</title>
		<link>http://thinkevolution.net/archives/57#comment-7155</link>
		<author>werutzb</author>
		<pubDate>Wed, 08 Oct 2008 02:39:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid>http://thinkevolution.net/archives/57#comment-7155</guid>
					<description>Hi!

I want to improve my SQL knowledge.
 I red really many SQL books and would like to
read more about SQL for my occupation as mysql database manager.

 What would you recommend?

Thanks,
Werutz</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hi!</p>
<p>I want to improve my SQL knowledge.<br />
 I red really many SQL books and would like to<br />
read more about SQL for my occupation as mysql database manager.</p>
<p> What would you recommend?</p>
<p>Thanks,<br />
Werutz</p>
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