Bhairitu: > ...I hope I can irritate you more. You are WAY > TOO SERIOUS to be on FFL. :-D > This is funny - a couple of MUM Philosophy Dept graduates discussing science. LoL!
> On 03/06/2013 04:32 PM, Sharalyn wrote: > > What you write here not only confuses the issue with a lot of unrelated > > fluff, it complicates it with unsubstantiated personal opinion and an > > obviously prejudiced agenda. What gives you any authority to make the > > claims you make? Have you personally worked in the research labs? I don't > > want an answer to that for I can see by your style of writing that you > > can't give a focused, non-emotional, objective response. I just wanted to > > express my irritation that you used my question as a springboard for an > > off-topic personal tirade. > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitu <noozguru@> wrote: > > > >> On 03/06/2013 01:35 PM, curtisdeltablues wrote: > >>> The key is being able to answer the question: " Is there a test even in > >>> principle, that could show that the theory is false?". It often involves > >>> making the claim more precise. But even your second example: The brain > >>> waves of students practicing TM show increased coherence, might be > >>> unfalsifiable depending on how you define "coherence". And remember > >>> coherence is a mathematical model being applied to the raw data. It is > >>> very easy to massage the numbers to show some type of "coherence". For > >>> it to be falsifiable it must be possible for someone to go through the > >>> test and for them to say "our theory is not valid, coherence does not > >>> increase." > >>> > >>> But that isn't how the movement uses science for marketing. Movement > >>> scientists would just continue to manipulate the data using different > >>> formulas until something they could call coherence could be found. In TM > >>> research, it is never a possible outcome that TM ever does anything bad > >>> to a person, or that positive benefits are not "proven". If the > >>> experiment doesn't show what they already believe, the frame around the > >>> experiment is shifted until it shows something positive. > >>> > >>> Framing a test in a way that is falsifiable requires a detachment from > >>> the outcome. You have to really care enough about the truth to plug up > >>> all the loopholes that compromise falsifiability. We have many cognitive > >>> biases toward winging it when it comes to our beliefs. Few people really > >>> want to go through the hard work it would take to really test something. > >>> > >>> So yes you need precision in formulating the hypothesis, but that is not > >>> enough. You have to understand how each variable affects the test. Our > >>> big pharma testing system has the exact same problems movement research > >>> has. They are always ready to turn capillary dilators into boner pills. > >>> They are not setting up the research with big bucks to find out that the > >>> pill does more harm than good. > >>> > >>> Lots of New Age "medical" practices operate this way. The results are so > >>> vague that there is no way for you to conclude that it just didn't work. > >>> Every result has an explanation, but the system itself is never tested > >>> rigorously. > >> Of course the problem there is that alternative medical practices simply > >> don't have the money to do such testing. And some of those cures are so > >> simple including ones that are even "kitchen cabinet" just using herbs > >> you may have there. No money in that for big pharma so instead they try > >> to destroy alternative medicine so they can sell you expensive cures. > >> Unrestrained capitalism is a crime against humanity. > >> > >> That said, fortunately over the years some of the simple cures do get > >> tested. I recall that in the 1970s a dentist in Florida had some > >> program to use just baking soda for dental care. Of course he was > >> lambasted as a "quack". Now go to your supermarket and take a look at > >> toothpaste that includes or advertises baking soda used. Ayurveda > >> suggests turmeric or even triphala as a mouth wash to prevent > >> gingivitis. I have use Crest's Total Health which I noticed is as > >> astringent as those two herbs and would bet that astringency is at the > >> basis of the cure. > >> > > > > >
