The impossibility—and the necessity—of distinguishing science from nonscience
An actually question for HN readers. Why do we think this article is worth discussing? Why shouldn’t we be discussing things like how maybe 2+2=4 might not be correct?<p>This article is attempting to refute the value of the scientific method. Why is science alone worthy of “debate” about if it’s useful or worthwhile or not?<p>Is it perhaps because science often makes statements about the world that cause problems for those with an agenda?<p>If we discuss articles like this seriously (who’s “philosophy” has been debunked 1000s of times already) then we’re giving voice and allowing doubt to sow about science.<p>I’ll leave you with a quote from Carl Sagan...<p>“Science is more than a body of knowledge; it is a way of thinking. I have a foreboding of an America in my children&#x27;s or grandchildren&#x27;s time -- when the United States is a service and information economy; when nearly all the manufacturing industries have slipped away to other countries; when awesome technological powers are in the hands of a very few, and no one representing the public interest can even grasp the issues; when the people have lost the ability to set their own agendas or knowledgeably question those in authority; when, clutching our crystals and nervously consulting our horoscopes, our critical faculties in decline, unable to distinguish between what feels good and what&#x27;s true, we slide, almost without noticing, back into superstition and darkness...”<p>Edit: Just because it&#x27;s hidden in a comment below, I&#x27;m adding it here. Some more examples of articles from The Weekly Standard to gauge whether they have a political agenda or not:<p>Calling climate change a religion: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.weeklystandard.com&#x2F;irwin-m-stelzer&#x2F;the-sacred-science" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.weeklystandard.com&#x2F;irwin-m-stelzer&#x2F;the-sacred-sc...</a><p>Some Hawking bashing about climate change: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.weeklystandard.com&#x2F;nathan-cofnas&#x2F;dadaist-science" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.weeklystandard.com&#x2F;nathan-cofnas&#x2F;dadaist-science</a><p>Or how about some Bill Nye bashing: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.weeklystandard.com&#x2F;the-scrapbook&#x2F;bill-nye-the-quisling-guy" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.weeklystandard.com&#x2F;the-scrapbook&#x2F;bill-nye-the-qu...</a><p>An attempt to show that Democrats are astrologers: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.weeklystandard.com&#x2F;the-scrapbook&#x2F;anti-science-liberals" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.weeklystandard.com&#x2F;the-scrapbook&#x2F;anti-science-li...</a><p>This list goes on...