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by xprofessor on September 1st, 2007

xprofessor

Question

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Do you think the AB admins should remove "Paranormal phenomena" from the Science category and make it a top category itself? The association lends an undeserved air of respectability to a lot of woo-woo nonsense.

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  • by Anonymous on September 1st, 2007

    Anonymous

    I suspect there are probably good arguments as to whether to do that or not, but I think that it is easier to keep it in science as it is probably what most people would think of when trying to find that topic. The topic classifications here do leave a lot to be desired, but sometimes in order to have a bit of simplicity you have to accept compromises such as this.
    I would also expect that new "sciences" take a long time to gain recognition as a science by many people and this may well be an example of that phenomenon.
    Just to add, this opinion is coming from a scientist, so I doubt that it may lend weight to my answer it just helps you to know what perspective I am coming from.

    Comments

    • Thanks for your response, Tani. But 'paranormal' (which I take to be synonymous with 'supernatural') phenomena are by definition outside of science. By that I mean they are unable to pass the usual tests of validity based on physical observation and logical inference, aka the scientific method. -- New sciences take time to gain recognition, but in the end they live or die (scientifically) based on the evidence. We must all keep open minds for new ideas that will ultimately pass tests of validity. Most so-called paranormal phenomena (ghosts, alien visitations, ESP, etc.) always fail these tests. -- I'm not seeking debate here; there's a huge skeptical literature supporting my contention that 'paranormal phenomena' are not science. -- How about renaming the category UNEXPLAINED? There are plenty of unexplained questions in science (How do proteins fold? Why does my attic creak?) worthy of discussion. Then you can stick the paranormal stuff into its own subcategory.

      xprofessor

      by xprofessor on September 1st, 2007

    • Somebody downrated me, no doubt because my question smacks of closed-minded scientific elitism, and my screen name hardly helps here! There's a skeptical proverb: Keep an open mind, but no so open that your brains fall out.

      xprofessor

      by xprofessor on September 1st, 2007

    • I should add that I strongly support AB being an open forum where people can post questions, answers, and comments on any topic. If folks want to talk about ghosts and share their experiences, that's wonderful. Just don't call it science. It confuses people.

      xprofessor

      by xprofessor on September 1st, 2007

    • Just so you know, I didn't down rate you, I thought it was a good question. I like the open forum format about AB too. I also appreciated your well reasoned response to my answer :)

      Anonymous

      by Anonymous on September 1st, 2007

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