[Taxacom] New classification of Hominidae (incl. the "hobbit")

[Richard Zander]

Something strange here. What happened to an objective measure of
success? Two groups can believe different things about a topic, but
surely one can decide from more evidence and a decent theory that one
belief is better than another, and might be a good candidate for
consensus? 

One can falsify one belief, and that doesn't make the other true, not
even in the scientific sense that science is never perfectly sure about
either its "facts" (well-documented observations) or accepted theories.
One can demonstrate multiple instances of something being true but never
assure that there is not one instance in which it is not tree ("all
crows are black"). But that's what theories are for, dealing with
inference.

Belief that guides action is the key to this argument, I think. Any
other belief is rather weak.

*****************************
Richard H. Zander 
Voice: 314-577-0276
Missouri Botanical Garden
PO Box 299
St. Louis, MO 63166-0299 USA
richard.zander at mobot.org
Web sites: http://www.mobot.org/plantscience/resbot/
and http://www.mobot.org/plantscience/bfna/bfnamenu.htm
Non-post deliveries to:
Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63110
*****************************

-----Original Message-----
From: taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
[mailto:taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu] On Behalf Of Jim Croft
Sent: Friday, May 01, 2009 10:01 PM
To: rjensen at saintmarys.edu
Cc: taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
Subject: Re: [Taxacom] New classification of Hominidae (incl. the
"hobbit")

'Conviction' , like 'belief', is probably too emotionally charged to
be useful in science, and hence Taxacom, the pinnacle of such
endeavour.  But this is what discussions like these are all about -
righteousness in the face of insurmountable indifference, if not
opposition.

'Opinion'. like 'evidence' and 'consequence', on the other hand is
perhaps a little more neutral, a little more flat.  But even the
descriptor 'opinionated' comes with its baggage.

Bringing this all back to Taxacom, I believe with some conviction that
such beliefs and convictions do not belong here</irony>. Belief and
conviction is what God created blogs for...  :)

jim

"I cannot give any scientist of any age better advice than this: the
intensity of a conviction that a hypothesis is true has no bearing
over whether it is true or not." - Peter Medawar

but perhaps the more poetic:

"Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd."   -
Voltaire

On Sat, May 2, 2009 at 12:53 AM, Richard Jensen <rjensen at saintmarys.edu>
wrote:
> This is what I meant. We must clarify our intention when using words
> that have several meanings. "Belief" is such a word. It can be used to
> represent acceptance via unreasoned faith (or even reasoned faith), or
> it can be used as synonymous with (see Webster's New Collegiate
> dictionary) ""conviction of the truth of some statement or the reality
> of some being or phenomenon, esp. when based on the examination of
> evidence." Whether the belief qualifies as science or not is another
> matter. When I, as a scientist, say I believe in evolution, I am using
> the latter definition coupled with a scientific evaluation of the
evidence.
>
> Dick J
>
> Richard Jensen, Professor
> Department of Biology
> Saint Mary's College
> Notre Dame, IN 46556
> Tel: 574-284-4674

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