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Thu, 4 Jan 2007 11:09:27 -0500 |
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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.
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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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>More information about the Informal Science Education Network and the
>Association of Science-Technology Centers may be found at http://www.astc.org.
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>[log in to unmask]
--
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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More information about the Informal Science Education Network and the
Association of Science-Technology Centers may be found at http://www.astc.org.
To remove your e-mail address from the ISEN-ASTC-L list, send the
message SIGNOFF ISEN-ASTC-L in the BODY of a message to
[log in to unmask]
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