Hi,
One thing to think about in deciding who is and who isn't a good 
scientist. The first is the usual question of why does it matter (it 
doesn't, but whether an individual is "right" about a given claim may 
be) and the second has to do with retrofitting a contemporary 
conception of "scientist" backwards in time. For example, scientist 
only became a term of use in the 1840s  in England with William 
Whewell. Our categorizations (which includes social status, and the 
rhetorical force of that term and claims made in the name of it) are 
radically time bound. It may simply beside the point to wonder 
whether or not Thoreau was a good scientist in a contemporary sense. 
In James Fenimore Cooper's novels the term used for what would be the 
closest thing to "scientist" was "philosopher" (or "natural 
philosopher") for whom Cooper had nothing but scorn. The better 
question would be was Thoreau considered a scientist (or whatever the 
term would be) by his contemporaries.

Tom

>Hi John,
>
>You seem to have changed the subject.
>
>>A 'bad scientist' is probably the wrong term to be used against either
>>Thoreau and Muir.
>
>No one has called either Thoreau or Muir a "bad scientist."  If you'll
>recall, Budiansky and I are referring to a tradition of romantic nature
>writing that makes for a questionable basis for environmental policy.  For
>example, I believe what I wrote was:
>
>>>For what it's worth, I read his chapter by that title as suggesting that
>>>the Romantic literary writers such as Wordsworth, Thoreau, Muir, etc.
>>>produced "good poetry," but that as a basis for sound ecological policies,
>>>Wordsworthian or Thoreauvian nature writing is "good poetry, bad science."
>>>
>>>Jim
>
>Hope this clears up any confusion.
>Jim
>
>
>If Muir and Thoreau were bad scientists, I would like to
>>know who were better scientists? Natural historians work in the field of
>>descriptive science for the most part.
>>
>>A bad scientist is someone who makes errors rather than finds knowledge,
>>therefore he cannot even be called a bad scientist.
>>
>>john foster
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>"You never know where fish will go."
>>
>>Molly Ivins
>>
>>http://www.star-telegram.com/columnist/ivins2.htm



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