[LINK] The Problem with Higgs Boson - Was Balance the enemy of facts

Roger Clarke Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au
Fri Oct 21 14:37:44 AEDT 2011


>On 21/10/2011 2:14 PM, Roger Clarke wrote:
>>  At 12:57 +1000 21/10/11, Tom Koltai wrote:
>>>   ... when the
>>>  validity of various belief systems several millennia old are about to be
>>>  possibly disproved.
>>  Comfortable as I am with the analysis that precedes that clause, Tom,
>>  I just have to register by disapproval of that last bit.
>>
>>  The fundamental belief system of practitioners of big science is that
>>  they deserve lots of money, forever (or until the other big bang,
>>  whichever comes first).

At 14:24 +1100 21/10/11, Paul Brooks wrote:
>Point of nitpicking order Roger - Brian Schmidt's Nobel Prize a few 
>weeks ago was for
>research proving (as best we can) that the universe is accelerating 
>its expansion, and
>will end in a whimper - there won't be another bang.
>http://www.chiefscientist.gov.au/2011/10/congratulations-to-australian-nobel-prize-winner/

Ah, but that's just *current* science.

One of the corollaries of scientific assertions being subject to 
falsification is that many of them are subsequently falsified, or (to 
be fair) subsequently refined, or subsequently shown to be a special 
case rather than generically true.

(Presumably that aspect of the theory of relativity that postulates 
the speed of light as a limiting factor is ripe for demonstration as 
a special case).

But yes, I was indeed playing loose with language  (:-)}


-- 
Roger Clarke                                 http://www.rogerclarke.com/

Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd      78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA
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mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au                http://www.xamax.com.au/

Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre      Uni of NSW
Visiting Professor in Computer Science    Australian National University



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