I am not so sure science is or should be about proving something right or
wrong. It seems to me that scientific inquiry should consist of posing a
hypothesis and and then seeking to prove of disprove it. Right or wrong implies
biases.
I do agree that PTs shy away from spirited debate and this is unfortunate.
"[log in to unmask]" wrote:
> A quote from the highly acclaimed book “Captured By Aliens” by Joel
> Achenbach (Simon and Schuster 1999) is appropriate here: “In science, if
> you don’t try hard enough to prove yourself wrong, your friends will
> gleefully pick up the slack. Proving the work of others false is virtually
> a sacred rite.” And “A scientist considers it a sacred obligation to try to
> invalidate the spurious claims of others. Scientists are trigger-happy
> invalidators. Some would be happy to explain to a five-year-old kid that
> Santa is merely an invention of parents who use the fat elf as a proxy
> disciplinarian.”
>
> Achenbach is not describing any sort of personal attack, but he is
> certainly describing the nature of scientific discourse and the advancement
> of ideas. It always includes disagreement, and this seems to be something
> our community tries to avoid at all cost. If the Pilates people are
> unwilling to defend their claims by refuting Dr. Siff, we can only assume
> that they agree with him. As Thomas More says in "A Man for All Seasons"
> "Qin tace con secere," meaning "silence gives consent."
>
> What I see quite often in PT is a great discomfort whenever disagreement
> appears, no matter how rational and concise the argument. Therapists tend
> to reflexly mistake common scientific discussion (as described by
> Achenbach) for personal attack, no matter how completely impersonal it
> actually is. Surely this kind of fear cannot help us advance our ideas, and
> the suggestion in an earlier post that the Pilates practitioners had been
> "scared away" speaks directly to this kind of misinterpretation.
>
> When more than a very, very small percentage of us on these lists actually
> begin to post our opinions, that's when I'll believe that fear of
> scientific debate and not personal attack is the real issue here.
>
> Barrett L. Dorko, P.T.
> http://barrettdorko.com>
> Also at <http://rehabedge.com>
> And <http://prorehabonline.com>
> And <http://physicaltherapist.com>
--
Douglas M. White, PT, OCS
Physical Therapist, Consultant
191 Blue Hills Parkway
Milton, MA USA 02186
P: 617.696.1974
[log in to unmask]
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