[The Electrician]

And, there is nothing wrong with "random" gathering of data: in fact, this is quite scientific; it's called random sampling.

If you read the source material, you will agree that what Mr. Bellesiles engaged in was far from "random sampling" both in intent and in effect, and therefore the conclusions that he tortured out of the data were anything but scientific.

[TopQuark]

That is not what I said, and I know that you are correct.

What I addressed was the language of the author's critics that betrays their ignorance.