Irrational Reaction

It is amazing how rational scientists can react so irrationally to a challenge. Why do they feel so threatened? Do they fear that their enemy wields some unearthly power to overthrow them? Have they cleverly deduced that theirs is the only correct worldview, absolute and final? Before continuing, I should state that I am a natural scientist. I work every day to uncover the biochemical processes associated with allergic inflammation, a very "real" phenomenon. I should add that my sole source of

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First, while I cannot believe that science is evil, or even wrong in its approach to examining the natural world, neither can I believe that science is the only valid approach to understanding that world. Why? Quite simply because I have not seen all other approaches disproved. We learn early in our scientific training that no theory can be absolutely proved. Thus, the basis for the advance of science is a lack of disproof of new hypotheses. For some duration, many undisproved theories are accepted as, forgive the term, gospel by the majority in the scientific community. Most often, in time, these theories are disproved or shown to have limited applicability. Usually, it is the upstart or misfit minority that is left with the task of pointing out inconsistencies that lead to the overthrow of the prevailing wisdom. You don't have to look far for examples. In fact, the very ...

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  • Eric Springman

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