From: Osher Doctorow, Ph.D. [log in to unmask], Sunday Jan. 21, 2001 3:19PM
I agree with Prof. Thomas' recent message concerning the proposed defining
statement, but I think that there may be a way to bring mainly
career-oriented as opposed to mainly socially-oriented statisticians into
the fold of socially responsible people. This concerns the apparent fact
that individual orientation without social orientation does not seem to be
workable in science or in applied fields based on science. To put it in
other language, the internal and external worlds go together in many
aspects. The benefits that can be derived from such an understanding are
likely to accrue to both careers and society. I also think that people
oriented in one direction will become better statisticians if they adopt the
principle: always or almost always keep several alternative axiom systems or
theories as options rather than just deciding on one. Non-Euclidean versus
Euclidean geometry is perhaps the most spectacular example, but there is
also Newtonian versus relativistic physics, effective gauge quantum field
theory versus string theory, and Bayesian versus Logic-Based
Probability/Statistics (for the latter, see my paper published in the 2000
volume by B. N. Kursunuglu (Ph.D. Cambridge University under P. Dirac), S.
L. Mintz, and A. Perlmutter, Quantum Gravity, Generalized Theory of
Gravitation, and Superstring Theory-Based Unification, Kluwer
Academic/Plenum: New York, pages 89-97). Alternatively, see abstracts of 49
of my papers at http://www.logic.univie.ac.at, Institute for Logic of the
University of Vienna (select ABSTRACTS, then BY AUTHOR, then my name).
Osher Doctorow
Ventura College, West Los Angeles College, Doctorow Consultants, etc.
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