Dear me..
For so many people professing to like Goldacre?s debunking of bad science, it?s quite astonishing that so many, when you get down to it, don?t seem to understand or have any respect it.
Dundeemarmalade ? ?Are you REALLY saying that the scientific method is the ONLY way that the human mind can be studied? This is an awfully limited perspective, isn't it? And doesn't it assume rather a lot about the sameness of mind and brain/body?:
There are other ways of studying the human mind ? but none that matter as much as science. I?m curious, what other methods would you put on the same level as science?
And as for limited perspectives, that seems only be be peoples limited perspective of what science actually is.
What is assuming a lot about ?the sameness of mind and brain/body? ? they are all the ?same? in that they biological systems. Where is the beef there?
As for you assuming and putting words into my mouth about what I think is a valid perspective, you might try reading my posts properly. I was actually going to defend anthropology as a means of gathering data about culture ? the kind that are used in conjunction with evolutionary perspectives. It is not me that cast aspersions on other forms of data collection. Here is another tenet of science ? get you facts right before attempting to ridicule someone.
You seriously think that someone asserting that races (actually races do not exist, a basic problem with the theory) can be placed up and down a scale of retardation, purely because of the physiological expressions of that race might resemble those humans with a chromosomal disorder that gives rise to learning difficulties is the SAME is saying women might like pink as a colour more than men? Please, enlighten me.
If anyone would care to read the paper I posted below, they might stop themselves falling into such fallacious territory.
Niceglasses! Hi. Defo lets meet for a drink ? I need one too after this palarva! And I still have your eyeshadows! (were they pink? ). I did see the piece and it was great ? a real example of bad science.
Anna, thanks for the backup mate. That is exactly what I?m saying.
Aloha, thabnk you for clarifying the argument. The study was called ?Biological components of sex differences in color (sic) preferences?.
People seem to be thinking that I am defending the hypothesis when I have no idea if it is correct or not. What I am defending is the right for this study to take place and defending evolutionary psychology against the charge that it is a pseudoscience.
And people need to realise that this study will be subject to falsification like any other scientific paper ? falsification by experts not laypersons reading all sorts of false political motives into the paper. And it it actully a biology paper, not a psychology one. Very bad form Goldacre!
I?m not sure how a foray into art history is helpful though to be honest ? that is another whole complex area of what colours stood for what because they were expensive to produce and hence status symbols for the portraitee (if such a word exists )
None of us (especially me) are in a position to say it is a purely cultural phenomenon ? thought were such a cultural phenomenon arises is another interesting question and leads further down the line of history ? which is all an evolutionary perspective is ? just a long way down.
Pruners ? genes are affected by environments. Read the Selfish Gene.
?.Evolutionary linguistics...now there's a topic.... (actually pretty interesting but it's never going to be more than just-so stories). Erm, so have you actually read the work of Steven Pinker then? Your assertion that evolutionary science relys on ?just so? stories is just that, an assertion, and opinion, no more.
Starfish ? To say science is right, or the best way, isn?t saying that others aren?t complementary. ALL study is valid as long as at adheres to strict controls and the basic premise of falsification. Just how many logical fallacies do we have to deal with in this debate? What on earth are you getting angry about? Is that going to make the debate more logical, thanks for the contribution? Please everyone pile in with their particular emotion and to hell with it!
Thank you Catissleepy, for that clarification. Not so malign at all, is it?
Right, I?ve just printed it up and am off to read it. Sorry about the frigging essay but I have to answer my charges.