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But -- how do you distinguish observations like "I banged on sticks to keep  
the elephants away, and the elephants didn't come" from "I packed the fish in  
salt and then it didn't spoil?"  
 
That is -- how does one distinguish perfectly valid observations that are  
really magical thinking from similarly valid observations that are actually  
accurate reflections of the functioning of the natural world?

Well,  yes I think so. Historically observations by scientists in the 
18 and 19  centuries (and earlier) certainly were not "gold standard" 
but did advance  our understanding and laid a basis for further 
understanding of the  natural world.


 

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