Jones Beene <jone...@pacbell.net> wrote: > Everyone can make their own appraisal of Allan’s credibility based on his > recent admission of moral breakdown, but I am absolutely certain that Kim’s > colleagues and peers at the University level will conclude that citing an > admitted pedophile as your source of information is highly belittling. > I do not see what pedophilia has to do with physics. Or what physics has to do with morality. Sterling Allan's reports often strike me as inaccurate or naive, but we can -- and we should -- judge them on their own merits without taking into account his personal life or his foibles.
To take an extreme example, Robert Stroud's book "Stroud's Digest on the Diseases of Birds" was published in 1943 and it is still in print. Quoting reviews on Amazon.com: "As a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine I have found this book of both practical and historical interest. It is still considered a standard work of the diagnosis and treatment of Avian diseases. A modern bird breeder would not be at fault in following Mr. Stroud's advice. . . ." "I would not be surprised to learn that Mr. Stroud's techniques, discoveries and research are the backbone of all modern avian medicine and avian veterinary curriculum. The book also provides detailed vitamin requirement analysis and food sources as well as descriptions of vitamin deficiency ailments. It is amazing that so much information is packed into one book. I have seen nothing in any owner handbooks that I did not find in Mr. Stroud's book with more detail and clarity. . . ." This is despite the fact that Stroud's morals were beyond the pale, and his personal life was a terrible mess. He was a homicidal lunatic. He spent most of his like in solitary confinement in Federal prisons. He was the so-called "birdman of Alcatraz." Still, his science was impeccable. - Jed
