Comments on: Science Blogs Dogged http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/03/21/science-blogs-dogged/ I am an astronomer, writer, and skeptic. I likes reality the way it is, and I aims to keep it that way. My real name is Phil Plait, and I run the Bad Astronomy blog. Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:30:08 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Gary Ansorge http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/03/21/science-blogs-dogged/comment-page-1/#comment-13003 Gary Ansorge Fri, 24 Mar 2006 16:42:59 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/03/21/science-blogs-dogged/#comment-13003 People in general tend to believe that only certain talented humans have the ability to master SCIENCE as a life long discipline. They do not realize it's just a method of verifying our ideas about reality. Prior to the insight of that crazy/supremely talented Persian Sufi that combined the experimental/engineering discipline of the Romans with the logical/theoretical ideal of the Athenian Greeks and developed the Scientific Method, the only esoteric source of power in the world was wizards and magicians, another discipline assumed to be the realm of Talent only. Wizards and sorcerors seemed to have power because they could, by the "magic" of music and language, create imagery in the minds of their audience that seemed real to them. I would guess this was a direct result of the bicameral mind, when most had not the ability to differentiate between internal imagery and external. Both were "real". Evolution continues, but I wonder how much of our trouble today with the dichotomy between science and religion is because many humans are still unable to differentiate between subjective and objective phenomena? Science blogs are one way we can beat down that wall between our minds and continue the evolutionary process. Keep on blogging,,, Gary 7 People in general tend to believe that only certain talented humans have the ability to master SCIENCE as a life long discipline. They do not realize it’s just a method of verifying our ideas about reality. Prior to the insight of that crazy/supremely talented Persian Sufi that combined the experimental/engineering discipline of the Romans with the logical/theoretical ideal of the Athenian Greeks and developed the Scientific Method, the only esoteric source of power in the world was wizards and magicians, another discipline assumed to be the realm of Talent only. Wizards and sorcerors seemed to have power because they could, by the “magic” of music and language, create imagery in the minds of their audience that seemed real to them. I would guess this was a direct result of the bicameral mind, when most had not the ability to differentiate between internal imagery and external. Both were “real”.

Evolution continues, but I wonder how much of our trouble today with the dichotomy between science and religion is because many humans are still unable to differentiate between subjective and objective phenomena?

Science blogs are one way we can beat down that wall between our minds and continue the evolutionary process.

Keep on blogging,,,

Gary 7

]]> By: The Bad Astronomer http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/03/21/science-blogs-dogged/comment-page-1/#comment-13006 The Bad Astronomer Thu, 23 Mar 2006 02:33:54 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/03/21/science-blogs-dogged/#comment-13006 I got a pretty big boost in hits from the bloggies. If there were a science category, how many more readers would see the great sciblogs out there? I like I write, and I think others do as well. I don't need an award to affirm my own self-worth, but it does help when I'm making a pitch to a publisher, or to a magazine. So there is some value to them. I got a pretty big boost in hits from the bloggies. If there were a science category, how many more readers would see the great sciblogs out there? I like I write, and I think others do as well. I don’t need an award to affirm my own self-worth, but it does help when I’m making a pitch to a publisher, or to a magazine. So there is some value to them.

]]> By: The Supreme Canuck http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/03/21/science-blogs-dogged/comment-page-1/#comment-13005 The Supreme Canuck Thu, 23 Mar 2006 01:56:13 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/03/21/science-blogs-dogged/#comment-13005 "I think the value of the blogsphere is not in its grammar or its ability to check itself; its value lies in the amount of diverse information it provides, correct or incorrect, fact-checked or not. Once you start saying, “this blog is good, but this one is bad” then you’ve tainted the information with your subjective opinion." But if the blog is properly fact-checked, then you can't taint the information. Facts are facts. Incorrect information is of far, far less value than correct information (I hesitate to say worthless, because if we know that the information is wrong, it an lead us to correct information). “I think the value of the blogsphere is not in its grammar or its ability to check itself; its value lies in the amount of diverse information it provides, correct or incorrect, fact-checked or not. Once you start saying, “this blog is good, but this one is bad” then you’ve tainted the information with your subjective opinion.”

But if the blog is properly fact-checked, then you can’t taint the information. Facts are facts. Incorrect information is of far, far less value than correct information (I hesitate to say worthless, because if we know that the information is wrong, it an lead us to correct information).

]]> By: Gp http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/03/21/science-blogs-dogged/comment-page-1/#comment-13004 Gp Thu, 23 Mar 2006 01:32:37 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/03/21/science-blogs-dogged/#comment-13004 why dont we start a science tag group then? why dont we start a science tag group then?

]]> By: Dave Becker http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/03/21/science-blogs-dogged/comment-page-1/#comment-13002 Dave Becker Wed, 22 Mar 2006 23:58:10 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/03/21/science-blogs-dogged/#comment-13002 PseudoScience Awards... now there's an idea. Seriously. I think the value of the blogsphere is not in its grammar or its ability to check itself; its value lies in the amount of diverse information it provides, correct or incorrect, fact-checked or not. Once you start saying, "this blog is good, but this one is bad" then you've tainted the information with your subjective opinion. If you're handing out Mars bars to the blogs you think are good, then more blogs will want you to think they are good and start changing themselves so that you think they are good, and you'll give them a tasty treat. I am also well-aware that this is a personal opinion that I probably don't share with many others. I am very grateful for well-written blogs about science like Phil's here and the Planetary Society's blog, and the handful of others, and I think that the purveyors of these fine periodicals certainly deserve a pat on the back for sharing all this great information with us free-of-charge. However, I think that with awards come boundaries (e.g. "this blog is a science blog, and this blog is a philosophy blog") and with boundaries come regulations ("to qualify for the science award blog, you have to post <i>X</i> words a week relating specifically to scientific issues"), and then you just have another regulated medium with filtered content that you have to take with a grain of salt anyway. I would much rather do my own fact-checking on the information I am given, since that what scientists are supposed to do anyway. Certainly no offense meant to anyone -- just sharing my thoughts. Cheers! PseudoScience Awards… now there’s an idea. Seriously.

I think the value of the blogsphere is not in its grammar or its ability to check itself; its value lies in the amount of diverse information it provides, correct or incorrect, fact-checked or not. Once you start saying, “this blog is good, but this one is bad” then you’ve tainted the information with your subjective opinion. If you’re handing out Mars bars to the blogs you think are good, then more blogs will want you to think they are good and start changing themselves so that you think they are good, and you’ll give them a tasty treat.

I am also well-aware that this is a personal opinion that I probably don’t share with many others.

I am very grateful for well-written blogs about science like Phil’s here and the Planetary Society’s blog, and the handful of others, and I think that the purveyors of these fine periodicals certainly deserve a pat on the back for sharing all this great information with us free-of-charge. However, I think that with awards come boundaries (e.g. “this blog is a science blog, and this blog is a philosophy blog”) and with boundaries come regulations (”to qualify for the science award blog, you have to post X words a week relating specifically to scientific issues”), and then you just have another regulated medium with filtered content that you have to take with a grain of salt anyway. I would much rather do my own fact-checking on the information I am given, since that what scientists are supposed to do anyway.

Certainly no offense meant to anyone — just sharing my thoughts. Cheers!

]]> By: SFwriter http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/03/21/science-blogs-dogged/comment-page-1/#comment-13001 SFwriter Wed, 22 Mar 2006 23:14:19 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/03/21/science-blogs-dogged/#comment-13001 Dave Becker: When your objective is to get people to wear nicer T-shirts, that's what you do. Nice T-shirt, by the way... Since we want more literate science writing within the blogosphere, we should undertake to reward those that do it well... Simultaneously, one might consider passing out anti-science awards for some of the sillier notions trying to pass themselves off AS science... yeah, the PseudoScience Awards...that's the ticket! Dave Becker:

When your objective is to get people to wear nicer T-shirts, that’s what you do. Nice T-shirt, by the way…

Since we want more literate science writing within the blogosphere, we should undertake to reward those that do it well… Simultaneously, one might consider passing out anti-science awards for some of the sillier notions trying to pass themselves off AS science… yeah, the PseudoScience Awards…that’s the ticket!

]]> By: Dave Becker http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/03/21/science-blogs-dogged/comment-page-1/#comment-13000 Dave Becker Wed, 22 Mar 2006 22:46:42 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/03/21/science-blogs-dogged/#comment-13000 <i>"Right. And if the awards reward good writing and proper fact-checking, isn’t that what we want?"</i> You can "if" my opinion to death if you wish, but all I'm saying is that handing out blog awards is analog to running around on the street giving people "Nice T-Shirt" awards. “Right. And if the awards reward good writing and proper fact-checking, isn’t that what we want?”

You can “if” my opinion to death if you wish, but all I’m saying is that handing out blog awards is analog to running around on the street giving people “Nice T-Shirt” awards.

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