this post was submitted on 24 Oct 2024
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[โ€“] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (3 children)

Science is not a "belief". It's a "deduction"

One is based on logic. The other is based on ~~gut feeling~~ emotion.

edited: I feel like emotion is a better contrast in my analogy.

[โ€“] yetiftw 1 points 1 month ago (2 children)

yeah except that logic relies on base assumptions, which are ultimately chosen based on gut feelings

[โ€“] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Logic does not rely on assumptions. It relies on making deductions about what is probable when faced with the current knowledge.

I see what you are meaning, but it's a misunderstanding of how the scientific method works. Base Assumptions never come into play.

The hypothesis comes from the existing evidence, not the other way around.

For example, Eratosthenes didn't have an "assumption" that the earth was round and then said, "hmmm...how shall we test this?" Rather, he had heard from someone or other that at noon is a certain city, there was no shadow. While in another city, there was a shadow being cast by objects. He started to logically deduce why that could be. He had his evidence, that in one city to the south, no shadow, and in another city, a shadow of 7 degrees at the same time of day. He knew the distance between the two cities and deduced not only that the earth was round, but it's size as well.

No gut assumptions necessary.

[โ€“] yetiftw 1 points 1 month ago

yes but translation from evidence to what caused the evidence to exist requires assumptions, like the fact that trig works. I'm not saying assumptions are bad, just that they should be acknowledged