"Gregory L. Hansen" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Richard Alexander wrote:
"Bob White" wrote in message
news:xEBRa.82631$N7.11056@sccrnsc03...

What prevents us from using the logical, systematic, scientific method
of
investigation to investigate any proposition at all,

Before the scientific method can be used, the object of investigation
must be accessible. Thus, one-time events are likely to be beyond the
scope of the scientific method. Historical events in general are
beyond the scope of the scientific method, though one can use the
scientific method on some on-going after-effects.

I wouldn't say that's strictly true. We can't repeat SN1987a, for one
example. Data about it was gathered from multiple sources, but even if it
weren't, we have a larger context of stellar physics and astronomical
observation to fit it into. Including our own Sun, and neutrinos created
reliably in reactors and accelerators.


One lesson emphasized in my classes of Logic and Critical Thinking is
that logic is a wonderful servant, but a wretched master. There are
those who would make logic and the scientific method our masters. You
sound like one of them.

Vulcans on Star Trek are the worst, spouting off "Your behavior isn't
logical" when they have no idea what goals that behavior is even meant to
achieve.

I think this guy has more faith in, and gives more scope to science than
the typical scientist does. He has an issue -- God is not merely unproven
or untestable, God must be provably false ...

Straw man. That is not what I am saying at all, certainly nothing like, "God
must be provably false." Please try to get it straight, instead of building
a straw man

All that I am saying is that given any theory of the form "X exists" the
logical scientific method of investigation is to test the null hypothesis,
"There is no X" to see if that can be knocked down by demonstration of an X.

See the scientific method being used to investigate the theory that ETs
might in reality exist:

Null : of, being, or relating to zero
www.m-w.com
(as in, "There are no ETs.")


---
Testing the Null Hypothesis
by John Marcus, MD
email

http://www.setileague.org/editor/null.htm

SETI is perhaps the most highly interdisciplinary of sciences,
encompassing not only astronomy, biology, engineering and physics, but
also psychology, metaphysics, probability, and belief. But it is, first
and foremost, a science, one to which we hope to apply the scientific
method.

[...]

The Scientific Method for the Argus search is this:

There are no ET's. (null hypothesis).

.... [W]e now design an experiment (Project Argus, for example) to try to
prove that statement wrong, recognizing that it takes only one clear,
unambiguous counter-example to reject the null hypothesis. ...

---