RE: evolution and diet

From: gts (gts_2000@yahoo.com)
Date: Thu Apr 24 2003 - 14:38:41 MDT

  • Next message: I William Wiser: "Re: evolution and diet"

    Eliezer S. Yudkowsky:

    > Furthermore, allocating the burden of proof to one side or the other,
    > in advance, restricts your spirit of creative inquiry. In the
    > beginning Hugh M. Species should simply examine these new dairy and
    > grain products to see what they are, gathering information, not
    > immediately launching a war between one position and the other.
    > Perhaps neither position is correct.

    Who said anything about "launching a war," Eliezer?

    It is a basic fact of science that burden-of-proof is on whoever makes the
    claim, i.e., on whoever proposes a new working hypothesis. For example, as I
    wrote in another message, the burden of proof was on Einstein to show his
    theories were more complete than Newton's -- it was not on Newton to rise
    from the grave to disprove Einstein. This is how progress happens in
    science. There is nothing non-bayesian or war-like about it.

    Our man Mr. Hugh M. Species in the year ~12,000 B.C. is suddenly faced one
    morning with the claims of dairy and agricultural farmers who say he should
    deviate from the diet upon which he evolved over ~4,000,000 years. If Mr.
    Hugh M. Species is rational and concerned for his health then he will want
    first to see evidence to support the farmers' claims.

    This does not mean Mr. Hugh M. Species cannot or should not volunteer to do
    the research himself in an effort to find the evidence on behalf of his new
    farmer friends, nor does it mean there are going to be bitter feelings or
    hostilities involved.

    It is simply the way gentlemen do their science.

    -gts



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