Science Memes

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Big Science (mander.xyz)

submitted 11 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 145 points 11 months ago (3 children)

This might be heresy, but I feel like saying that "science isn't truth, it's the search for truth", and "if you disagree it's not a disagreement, you're just wrong" is internally inconsistent.

[–] [email protected] 125 points 11 months ago (2 children)

It needs to be “if you disagree without evidence.”

They can leave that whole “if you’re not a scientist” bit in the rubbish bin.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 11 months ago

I believe they ment "If you disagree in spite of evidence."

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

I disagree lol.

This is conflating science and expertise, but it's probably still closer to valid than only "disagree without evidence". A person with no background on the area of interest (or science in general) is likely not to even understand what constitutes evidence of a claim. The set of non scientist people who can produce a reliable body of evidence disproving a theory that has not been found by experts in the same field is likely so small as to be negligible compared to the set of non scientist people with "evidence" from Facebook/other who are in fact just wrong.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 11 months ago (1 children)

No, that's the point. Disagreeing is already part of the scientific method. To disagree with science as a whole is to argue with the method, not the findings.

Imagine two explorers searching for a lost ancient ruins. They come to a path running north/south. One says to go north and the other says south. That's a disagreement. They are both still explorers seeking discovery.

A third observer sees them arguing and says "Ah, you don't know the way. We should not be seeking ruins because I already know what is there. I was told in a dream that the ruins were made by Bigfoot, and he made them invisible and impossible to see. Searching is futile, but I can draw you a map from what I already know is there."

That's not a third opinion of equal validity. It's not even a disagreement. It's just being wrong.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago

While I do agree with what you're saying, and it's a way of reading it I hadn't considered, I don't think the distinction is clear from the meme. Then again, it's just a meme, so my expectations can probably stand to be lowered a bit.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 11 months ago

I feel it should say something like "science isn't 'unchanging truth', written in stone, but rather the unending search for truth".