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To: js1138
Lots of rational people are insane. ... People can reason from "facts" that others regard as delusions. Sanity is tough to define, but science comes close to a definition by requiring replication of results by independent observers. It is fact, not logic that is at issue.

We're getting into definitions here. You are correct that someone can start out with utterly false premises, and then reason logically from there. But he will end up with a conclusion that is at odds with observations (The "reality" of Noah's flood is an easy example, following quite logically from the premise of the literal truth of Genesis.) Such a conclusion will be logically valid, but false. [ What Would We Expect to Find if the World had Flooded?]. The scientist, faced with a contradiction between theory and reality, would go back and review his assumptions. The dogmatist will not. So what word do we use to describe a person who clings to obviously false dogma?

852 posted on 02/26/2002 1:51:24 PM PST by PatrickHenry
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To: PatrickHenry
"The scientist, faced with a contradiction between theory and reality, would go back and review his assumptions.

So what is the theory of evolution? Is that how evolutionists avoid contradiction - by never saying what the theory of evolution is?

927 posted on 02/27/2002 4:00:45 AM PST by gore3000
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To: PatrickHenry
So what word do we use to describe a person who clings to obviously false dogma?

In my post I used the word insane. I happen to believe that logic is an editing function rather than a productive function. I think people build their world view pretty much independently of logic (if I could describe how, I'd be rich and famous). What we call logic is a rather recent invention in the history of mankind. And of course the systematic and iterative application of logic and experiment is even more recent.

But I think even scientists form their ideas of how the world is and what what should happen in experiments before the results are in. Sanity is conforming to unexpected results.

934 posted on 02/27/2002 6:37:11 AM PST by js1138
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