Even the neo-Buddhists are doing it
As Hammerof published, it is the most easily falsifiable theory of consciousness
A scientific theory can never be proven right.
It can only ever be proven wrong.
As someone with a scientific background, you should know that.
The theories of Newton, Galileo, relativity and quantum mechanics have been proven right often
Personally I prefer to view theories as useful or not and guides for experimentation, not absolutes
Though, as I noted recently, I have been called a fool often
Not so.
I repeat, you can never prove a theory right. I refer you to Einstein and Feynmann who were both eloquent on this. It is the basic tenet of science.
I have a degree in Quantum Physics, and will restrict myself to this essential point in this discussion.
Newton’s theory of gravitation was proved wrong by Einstein. Einstein’s replacement has been supported by experimentation but that doesn’t mean it’s proved right after every experiment agrees. It would take only one experiment to prove the theory wrong.
Newtonian physics get us to the moon and back
Newton and Einstein played in different sand boxes
But we needed Einstein to explain the quirk in the orbit of Mercury.
Which is incredibly cool; the quirk and the explanation.
good stuff from Feynman
long live experimentation to test guesses, aka theories
but one should not entirely throw out theories based on a single experiment, but alas experiments like statistics can be distorted
importantly, context of theory should be considered
Einstein did not prove that Newton was entirely wrong…but increasingly wrong for increasingly larger sand boxes (contexts), and quantum mechanics did not prove that Einstein was wrong…their contexts are quite disparate
On the other hand, Feynman recognized that it may take hundreds of years to prove theories wrong
Watching the video reminds me of my seminars in college, presumptive
Oh yes one should. That’s the whole point of the scientific method.
false
experimental results must always be questioned, confirmed, reassessed with new experiments and theories
the process is a perpetually ongoing affair
so, you would throw out the theory of relativity or quantum mechanics based on a single experiment?
good luck getting that peer-reviewed published
How false?
Theories must always be tested by experiments, questioned, confirmed, reassessed I totally agree.
BUT if the confirmed results (even one) do not agree with the theory, the theory is wrong.
if you are right, indeed I and the rest of us experimenters are fools, I’m used to that title and joyously admit I know very little
come to think of it, I know nothing, but I try to figure things out
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I’m obviously having difficulty making myself clear.
Experimenters are in fact the sole essence of the scientific method.
The more I study, the more I admit happily that I know nearly nothing.
Call it reverse Dunning-Kruger if you like.
close to completely true
a premise/theory/guess/context comes in handy when experimenting
edit: actually it’s nothing. I’m not absolutely sure of anything.
ah, we agree in our self assessments
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