James Fischer wrote:
> Alan... ruminated...
>> 4. What we think we see is largely influenced by what we have
>>    heard and seen previously.   What we have heard and seen is
>>    often irrelevant to the current situation, misunderstood,
>>    or simply fanciful speculation.
>
> The above appears to pre-suppose that no one is capable of
> making an objective observation or measurement.

Well, I (allen) wrote first quote (above).  Alan spoke about the
econonmy, and I quoted him previously (with apologies).  I can see how
it is easy to confuse the two of us, but this mixup -- if you think
carefully about it -- couldn't illustrate my point better, and draws
into question the validity of observations, even by trained scientists,
*as well as* conclusions.

As I wrote and intended it, the statement quoted at the top does not in
any way "pre-suppose that no one is capable of making an objective
observation or measurement".  It merely warns us to be careful to be
aware of the strong influence of supposition and habit.  Whether anyone
is "capable of making an objective observation or measurement" is not
addressed, and IMO, is best left to philosphers.

> ...there's a simple solution to the problem that would be 100%
> compatible with Alan's view.  Observations are one thing, but
> conclusions drawn from those same observations are another.

This is true, but I don't think we can exempt observations from careful
scrutiny; my original statement implies that questioning the
observations themselves is not out of order.

The point I was attempting to make is that dismissing observations or
conclusions out-of-hand or disrespectfully, is usually not a good way to
learn.  It seems to me that virtually all discoveries of any import have
come from careful examination of apparent anomalies or inconsistencies
that, oftentimes, many, if not most of us, would impatiently dismiss as
inconvenience, bad data or screw-ups.

allen
http://www.honeybeeworld.com/diary/

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