RNG

Go for it. My point was that believe of one's objectivity can be subjective. Which is why we have peer review and competition.

webguy4

I totally get it. Belief in your own objectivity is in itself subjective, actually it can't be anything else.

We have though have had some breakdowns of the peer review function as a policer and/or arbiter.

webguy4

My emphasis on objectivity is connected to some more fundamentals about science. Being objective means reducing the number of things you "believe" to the absolute minimum. The scientist doesn't want to believe something, he/she wants to be able to prove something.

Proof being accomplished by means of the scientific method.

While a scientist wants not to accept anything on faith unfortunately that can never be perfectly achieved. One of the axioms science relies on is the belief that there is a logic to the universe that is consistent and explainable.

RNG

Perhaps in the short term. But not long and not often.

RNG

That is true, and there is nothing wrong with it. But equally well, I don't know of any scientist who believes we will ever know everything.

Hopefully you're not heading towards a "god of the gaps" argument.

webguy4

Hmm, I suppose some discussion of God may come up, but if that were my intent I would not have started this discussion under the science and tech header.

webguy4

I just noticed you're talking about what a scientist "believes". It is tough trying to be objective, but a scientist should keep trying.

RNG

That one is just silly. If scientists didn't believe some things, like that phenomenon have a real cause, they would all become shoe salesmen.

webguy4

Yeah, just having a little fun.

Another axiom of science is a preference for simplicity. Einstein worked diligently, and scientists today still do, for what is sometimes called a theory of everything. A mathamatical formula along the lines of his famous E equals mc(2).

One equation that ties together all forms of time, energy, matter and space. actually there is no objective reason to believe such an equation exists, but it just feels like it should. It's not objective,but it does fit into the pattern of modern science. Eg: newton's laws of motion, quantum mechanics, and einstein's special and general relativity.

RNG

Well, there's that and the duality of light. That is also a biggie.