Are scientist trying to be too smart?

PYRRHUS 88

PYRRHUS 88

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There's a difference between a scientific theory and a proven mathematical theorem. The former can only ever be an approximation to reality, and is subject to being revised or even completely abandoned if new evidence comes along which doesn't fit the theory. For an example, read about the so-called "Ultraviolet Catastrophe" that led to physicists in the 1920's coming to the understanding that the uncertainty in any theoretical model of reality is strictly > 0. The latter describes an absolute truth in some axiomatic logical system, which as as close to being a "fact" in the usual sense of the word as anything I can think of. Go beyond that and you're in the realm of absurdist philosophical reductionism, which is a complete waste of time.

So, deducing the distance to the stars or the diameter of the sun requires only relatively simple geometry. You can take that as "fact".

Obtaining the mass of the Sun relies on Newtonian theory so maybe you want to refrain from calling that a "fact", instead call it "the best guess we have based on literally millions of pieces of evidence and the fact that no competing theory that could not be instantly shown to be incorrect has yet been put forward".

There are no proofs in science, only in mathematics. No scientist worthy of the name would ever claim to be 100% certain of anything.
 
DrX

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man i dont believe nothing these motherfukkers say anymore
 
Bomberman

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I used to be a real science guy, but the immediate non-practicality, smugness and the chasing in circles made me lose interest. Plus it's been shown so many "studies" can be biased and plenty of scientists will skew results based on who's paying them. People love to hold cats like that in high regard, when they can be as prejudice as anybody. Plenty of them just try to up their own ego 99% of the time.

I'm sure there are plenty of scientists with integrity, so I'm not talking about all of them though.

Side story: I remember I was in physics (E&M) class my sophmore year and one of the professors was a giant baseball fan and a prototypical science professor. One day him and this really smart cat in that class were going back and forth about the pitcher from Anaheim who was killed in an accident with a drunk driver. Of course the professor was saying how he should "have been a professional" and not have been out celebrating his first game ever pitched in the major leagues and the cat in our class wasn't trying to hear it.

Long story short it ended really uncomfortably when my classmate went "Dude pitched his first game in the major leagues and wanted to celebrate. What'd you know about big accomplishments like that? You're just a physics teacher, bro. (with emphasis)" :banderas::banderas:

Class was::leon::salute::lolbron::lolbron::wow::wow::patrice::patrice::merchant::merchant::whoo::ooh::ooh::ooh::ooh:

Professor was heated and apparently still talked about that student for years afterward, probably still to this day.
 
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