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I guess being a member of this site, I am biased, but I don't see that attitudes of science has reached the level of apathy that confusedhermit is concerned about. Of course I have no statistics to back me up I think science has definitely changed and we live in a society where incredible breakthroughs in thinking by individuals such as Newton, Einstein etc. are not the way science moves forward. I think that because science is so integrated in everything we do and so many more people are working in research, the "breakthroughs" have fizzled down to very specific applications, and therefore the media doesn't really care as much.I think science is taken for granted rather than shunned.I'm concerned about William McCormick's attitude to what science is. To me, the wonderful thing about science is that it is completely open minded. The only limitation that a (true) scientific mind should apply to the world is based on what is observed. Science loves proving itself wrong, because you can never really prove a theory correct, you can only fail to disprove it. And if the observations don't match up with current theories, then BAM! Current theories are thrown out the door and new theories are proposed in their place.I also like the whole concept of peer review which allows an individual's research to be cross-examined by the scientific community to ensure that it is robust enough to stand up.So anyway William McCormack, ironically perhaps I think you're wrong. I think that science is not about what is right and what is wrong, but about finding the most accurate match to the observations. You need to keep an open mind to the fact that you may be wrong, and with enough evidence, be willing to change your mind.Ahhh Science!
The real world works just like Benjamin Franklin described it. He could fly a kite in a lightning storm, if only to prove the Royal science folk that their dare to fly a kite in an electrical storm, was mere childs play, if you understood electricity. Over 250 years later, you have half the world, some of the power companies, and most scientists, claiming that you cannot fly a kite in a lightning storm. There is no big deal to flying a kite in an electrical storm.
Franklin was actually lucky to have survived, for after this famous incident, several other would-be-scientists who performed this same kite experiment were electrocuted.
... There is no big deal to flying a kite in an electrical storm.
Quote from: William McCormick on 05/09/2012 02:49:32The real world works just like Benjamin Franklin described it. He could fly a kite in a lightning storm, if only to prove the Royal science folk that their dare to fly a kite in an electrical storm, was mere childs play, if you understood electricity. Over 250 years later, you have half the world, some of the power companies, and most scientists, claiming that you cannot fly a kite in a lightning storm. There is no big deal to flying a kite in an electrical storm. William,I went ahead and looked up some information on the Ben Franklin Kite experiment.Quote from: http://www.codecheck.com/cc/BenAndTheKite.htmlFranklin was actually lucky to have survived, for after this famous incident, several other would-be-scientists who performed this same kite experiment were electrocuted.It is possible that Ben Franklin was more careful than the others with holding onto a dry silk string. But, he did apparently touch the key and get zapped during the experiment.This should NOT be suggested to a general audience that it can be done safely. IT CAN'T.Anyway, let's get away from Ben, and back to Statistics and the Population as being asked in the question.