The Slippery Slope of Science

[pure_doxyk]

The Slippery Slope of Reality with Jerry Trumbule Part 1 | Shrink Rap Radio Psychology Interviews.

This is a good podcast - two scientists candidly discussing some of the problems with the scientific method.

It comes down to an argument I've been making since I was a freshman studying logic and mathematics: The systems may be perfect, but they're

Comments

[nora_knickers]

LOL! I thought you'd like that one.

You might also like to check out the Brain Science Podcast, if you haven't yet. I especially like that she considers consciousness something of an emergent property that includes more that just neuronal activity.

I especially like this podcast in conjunction with Shrink Rap because I think it provides a decent balance between the more "scientific" paradigm, and a more Jungian perspective. Which isn't anti-scientific by any means, but a slightly more intuitive(?) approach.

[nora_knickers]

Oh, one thing I loved about this particular episode (and a few other podcast episodes that have come out against "Scientism") is how it backs up something I've been thinking for years about the cliche "Numbers don't lie."

Of course numbers don't lie. They don't talk. However, the people saying what those numbers mean are perfectly capable of lying, or misrepresenting them for all kinds of reasons - sometimes because the human doing the interpreting doesn't actually understand them either. Look at the early history of electro-magnetism and quantum theory. There's no reason to think the scientists of today are any less self-interested, or less attached to their own view of the world than the brilliant people who gave us the scientific world view we have today.

[pure_doxyk]

Exactly -- the claim "Numbers don't lie!" is itself a claim to objectivity by the speaker; i.e. I am equal to the numbers themselves...when, when you think about it, is pretty much no different at all than claiming that God Speaks Directly Through You. It's a sort of invisibility trick; of making yourself disappear from the equation so that the thing you want to say gains the undiluted authority of God/Math/Physics/Whatever.

Damn, I miss talking to you. We could do a mean radio show together! ;)

[nora_knickers]

Bwahahahahahahaha! I was thinking the same thing. Especially if we could find Katie Andrews, we could take over the podcast world!

[pure_doxyk]

HAHAHA omg totally! If either of us runs into her, we should take it as a sign!