Dark Ages ?
Why should we assume science is threatened ? What are the evidences or facts about? We are not asked to sign on that.
Science and Law are dynamic and dialectic processes. They are not on a leash, they have to prove their strength and getting stronger.
Commissione Grandi Rischi, if you pay more attention, did not follow a scientific pattern in finding a solution. They were not asked to provide a prediction, they were asked to pay attention to details and prepare a contingency plan in case. They did not. They said they could not provide a prediction but in the same time they calmed down people it would not have been any quake: but it is a prediction, isn't it? It is a formal logic issue.
How is it going on? Italian President of Republic was given the open letter. If you signed or just took a look, you can note your sign is not verified nor a captcha is used. Do you think it is a scientific way of proceeding? This is the real attack to Science in Italy.
Do you really trust people working this way? Do you trust all the signatures are true? Or maybe are you considering this is the Popper's science falsification method?
Best regards,
Matteo Levi
again act on a national body and make (or fail to make) such predictions.
The Dark Ages beckon.
--- On Tue, 6/22/10, GEO-TECTONICS automatic digest system <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> From: GEO-TECTONICS automatic digest system <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: GEO-TECTONICS Digest - 21 Jun 2010 to 22 Jun 2010 (#2010-106)
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Date: Tuesday, June 22, 2010, 11:01 PM
> There is 1 message totaling 64 lines
> in this issue.
>
> Topics of the day:
>
> 1. about an attack to Science in Italy
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Date: Tue, 22 Jun 2010 09:46:40 +0100
> From: Alan Gibbs <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Re: about an attack to Science in Italy
>
> Not sure if Paul is right about the Dark Ages. In fact it
> might well be the
> opposite.
>
> Many other professions are in the same position. I can
> think of engineers,
> lawyers, accountants, medical doctors etc, etc. who all
> deal with
> predictions that are not binary in a right/wrong sense.
>
> In practice they are careful with what they say, when they
> do say something
> they give it as an "opinion" or they place error bars or
> probability on the
> prediction. Geologists tend to make big statements with
> lots of conviction
> when they really mean that on a small amount of dubious
> data they think that
> xx might be the case, and then seek peer challenge to take
> the discussion
> forwards. I have no idea what our earthquake colleagues
> actually said,
> rather than what was reported, but expect that it was less
> careful than
> others might have offered. The reaction is of course over
> the top and I too
> added my signature, but let's take this as a wake-up call
> to be a little
> more scientific and professional when we speak or report to
> other stake
> holders. And let's not forget that we do have an obligation
> to the other
> stake holders who at the end of the day pay our wages.
>
> alan
>
> Dr Alan Gibbs
> Director
> Midland Valley Exploration
> 144 West George Street
> Glasgow
> G2 2HG
> tel: 44 (0) 141 332 2681
> fax: 44 (0) 141 332 6792
>
>
> [log in to unmask]
>
> www.mve.com
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Tectonics & structural geology discussion list
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> On Behalf Of Ryan, Paul (EOS)
> Sent: 17 June 2010 19:31
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: about an attack to Science in Italy
>
> It is best to assume that science is threatened and to
> sign. The
> key point, however, is that if scientific predictions are
> required
> by law to be exact, then no scientist worthy of the name
> can ever
> again act on a national body and make (or fail to make)
> such predictions.
> The Dark Ages beckon.
>
> Paul
>
> Paul D. Ryan
> EOS, NUI Galway, Ireland.
>
> ------------------------------
>
> End of GEO-TECTONICS Digest - 21 Jun 2010 to 22 Jun 2010
> (#2010-106)
> ********************************************************************
>
