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Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
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>ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
>Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
>*****************************************************************************
>
>
>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, you can't but were they repeatable? Did anyone after hearing 
about beating sticks to keep the elephants away survive to tell 
anyone else about it so that others could also beat sticks to keep 
the elephants away? Did they survive to tell others? Certainly 
publication was a problem but so was perishing.

Martin

>
>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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-- 
Martin Weiss, Ph.D
Vice President, Science
New York Hall of Science
47-01 111 th Street
Corona, New York 11368
718 699 0005 x 356

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