X-Message-Number: 19311 Date: Wed, 19 Jun 2002 09:46:03 -0400 From: Thomas Donaldson <> Subject: CryoNet #19304 - #19309 Hi everyone! For David Stodolsky: thanks for clarifying what you meant. It's clearly much more plausible once clarified. One of the nicer things about good science (unfortunately science isn't always good!) is that it will admit anyone to the discussion who has a good idea which adds to the ideas in that discussion. Nobody yet has to prove that they have the proper degrees. I personally think it would be a long term disaster if such proof were asked: for instance, the people who discoded DNA were not trained biologically or even chemically. The one problem with those who lack those degrees, today,. is that it's hard for them to get funding unless they have already made such discoveries. As for myself, I haven't explored physics deeply enough to actually make some new ideas there. But I think that almost anyone with an understanding of how science actually works would be able to do so, although they might have to spend time doing some reading up on the subject. It's a matter of a certain turn of mind, with a reasonable amount of knowledge, not a matter of some fixed period of study. As for what to do when science ISN'T good, that can be a hard problem. Science has its own politicians and those who will not listen to anyone not known to them. Some people are like that: pushing for dominance, trying to strike down those who disagree with them on any point, etc etc. Best wishes and long long life to all, Thomas Donaldson Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=19311