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To: neverdem

This guy’s problem is confusing political science, social science and economics with science. These disciplines use scientific tools, but they address problems unsuited to solutions with the rigor typically associated with the “hard sciences” or what we know of as the traditional physical sciences.

Too many disciplines suffer from “paradigm envy” in relation to the “hard sciences” - they think if they can master statistics and other traditional scientific tools they can make conclusions as definitive and consequential as those associated with physics and chemistry. But they’re generally operating with data which is tangled up with enormous error bars and numerous confounders - and it’s in that sense that they need a good bit more humility.


14 posted on 06/24/2012 10:43:44 PM PDT by Stosh
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To: Stosh

I agree with your post, but physics has also descended into unrigorous assertions, esp. in the climate thing.


22 posted on 06/25/2012 6:02:02 AM PDT by expat2
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To: Stosh; neverdem

Pournelle calls these the Voodoo Sciences and largely agrees with you. He first well-addressed the issue almost 25 years ago.

http://www.jerrypournelle.com/science/voodoo.html

Worthwhile reading. A good thing to have in your pocket should someone trot out a Voodoo “Scientist” to support his agenda.

We have a real problem in that agenda-driven “Science” is pushing real hard Sciences into being more like the Voodoo Sciences. I am thinking specifically of Anthropogenic Global Warming. I have been saying for some time that the worst result of the AGW mongers is the damage their whole program is doing to real Science. Consensus is not Science no matter how many times it is proclaimed thus.


35 posted on 06/26/2012 3:07:15 AM PDT by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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To: Stosh

Another problem that political science, social science and economics face is isolating a single variable. They can’t come up with a solution to multiple unknowns. They do a good job when they just study one variable.


36 posted on 06/26/2012 3:48:42 AM PDT by 1010RD (First, Do No Harm)
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