BYC Café

[Bunnylady]

Archeology is a not science.

Eh, one thing I learned in college (Biology major/Chemistry minor) was that an awful lot of science is educated guesswork, and how good your guesses are depends a lot on your education. Some of the best guessing is done by people who don't have an education to get in the way.

But sometimes, particularly when you look back at what passed for "science" a few generations ago, you can't help but ask, "how in the world did you go from this point to that??!"

 

[sourland]

Good morning, Cafe - bright and beautiful here this morning.

 

[ronott1]

there were not supposed to be - says who? what is that assumption based on?

What date are we talking about here? If the Viking era, the Scandinavians sailed well into (and beyond) the Islamic world, and brought back people as well as things. The Muslims had one of the most developed societies in the world at the time, in the intellectual domain, where they were way ahead of Western Europe and Scandinavia, e.g. Averroes.

The point of the post was that written history is political so those that said that via written history said it for reasons related to politics-- ethnic prejudice and etc. The point is that science contradicted the history books.

 

[Shadrach]

Eh, one thing I learned in college (Biology major/Chemistry minor) was that an awful lot of science is educated guesswork, and how good your guesses are depends a lot on your education. Some of the best guessing is done by people who don't have an education to get in the way.

Oh absolutely. The people here are excellent examples of truly great guessers. It's pity they're wrong so much of the time.

 

[Mtn Margie]

Morning and thanks for the coffee! There is a chance of rain here in the afternoon for the next couple of days and then drying out. Stay well and safe, Cafe!

 

[Perris]

written history is political

only in the sense that all subjects are political at the end of the day. The politics of science are pretty obvious right now.

science contradicted the history books

that's just too sweeping. They really don't address the same things. And historians don't agree on most things anyway!

 

[Shadrach]

only in the sense that all subjects are political at the end of the day. The politics of science are pretty obvious right now.

that's just too sweeping. They really don't address the same things. And historians don't agree on most things anyway!

It doesn't matter what political persuasion one has, Boyle's Law is still Boyle's law, as is the gravitational constant and thousands of other 'laws'.
This bit of the thread is going South with arguments about politics which isn't a science either despite attempts by some universities to title their courses as Political Science.
Historians are not scientists. They may use say Carbon Dating as a tool which is science to try to prove a point which isn't science.
It is unfortunate imo that we seem to be living in an era where science has become unpopular.
Instead, a form of subjectivism seems the current fad; I believe this to be true so therefor it is, is a brief description of that type of view. It's a return to the dark ages essentially.
It's okay on a personal basis and if people wish to beleive something then that's fine, even if they're provably wrong. It all goes horribly wrong when those beleifs are applied as truths and others are expected to subscribe.

 

[bruceha2000]

It all goes horribly wrong when those beliefs are applied as truths and others are expected to subscribe.

And do. No need to check to see if factual information exists that proves it wrong no matter how much the belief seems to not pass the "smell test".

 

[CapricornFarm]

Had to have a tooth extracted, cracked in half vertically and infected. Nasty fistula too. No way to fix it. Now it's on to the soft diet.

 

[DobieLover]

Had to have a tooth extracted, cracked in half vertically and infected. Nasty fistula too. No way to fix it. Now it's on to the soft diet.

After reading your post my entire face started to throb.