In the interest of science, good will and some sort of order, I would like to suggest a new topic abbreviation for scientific discussions. My reasoning is based on some rather hostile posts I have seen lately that are almost always based on a misunderstanding.
The letters SD, for scientific discussion will now show up in the subject titles of any such discussion I start or if I comment on a discussion in a scientific way.
Here are some basic things to keep in mind when reading or writing a comment to the SDs.
1) All thoughts and ideas are welcome and will be treated a theory, not facts set in stone. The reasoning behind this is simple, nothing can ever be proven only disproven. I am tired of people beating others down whose theories don’t pan out as though the person was lying or something.
2) Don’t beat people down for theories that don’t pan out. You may state your opinion and either gives reasons to support or disprove the theory, but be nice about it. A theory is the best explanation a person can give with the information at hand and with each bit of new information added by others, we can improve our understanding of the subject, even if it mean improving it by knowing what turns out to not be true. Process of elimination.
3) Being wrong is okay. This world is full of unknowns and trial and error is how we learn, but don’t expect every theory to be 100% correct on the first draft.
4) If you can’t stand the thought of people making incorrect hypotheses that you know are wrong from some experience you have had, don’t participate. Although, if you can stand it, your knowledge will likely be of great value.
5) Read the whole post, and the posts leading to it before you comment.
I hope that this is something we can do together, and please know this has nothing to do with any one specific event. I just wanted a way to reduce the chaos that sometimes crops up.
The letters SD, for scientific discussion will now show up in the subject titles of any such discussion I start or if I comment on a discussion in a scientific way.
Here are some basic things to keep in mind when reading or writing a comment to the SDs.
1) All thoughts and ideas are welcome and will be treated a theory, not facts set in stone. The reasoning behind this is simple, nothing can ever be proven only disproven. I am tired of people beating others down whose theories don’t pan out as though the person was lying or something.
2) Don’t beat people down for theories that don’t pan out. You may state your opinion and either gives reasons to support or disprove the theory, but be nice about it. A theory is the best explanation a person can give with the information at hand and with each bit of new information added by others, we can improve our understanding of the subject, even if it mean improving it by knowing what turns out to not be true. Process of elimination.
3) Being wrong is okay. This world is full of unknowns and trial and error is how we learn, but don’t expect every theory to be 100% correct on the first draft.
4) If you can’t stand the thought of people making incorrect hypotheses that you know are wrong from some experience you have had, don’t participate. Although, if you can stand it, your knowledge will likely be of great value.
5) Read the whole post, and the posts leading to it before you comment.
I hope that this is something we can do together, and please know this has nothing to do with any one specific event. I just wanted a way to reduce the chaos that sometimes crops up.