Re: Some Simple Questions

From: David C. Ullrich (ullrich_at_math.okstate.edu)
Date: 03/18/05 

Date: Thu, 17 Mar 2005 18:31:58 -0600

On 17 Mar 2005 13:59:20 -0800, "Charlie-Boo" <chvol@aol.com> wrote:

>
>David C. Ullrich wrote:
>> On 17 Mar 2005 06:02:30 -0800, "Charlie-Boo" <chvol@aol.com> wrote:
>>
>> >1. If someone says "I have a system that produces X" and in their
>> >paper that introduces and explains the system there are no examples
>of
>> >an X that is produced, does that demonstrate that the system cannot
>> >produce X and the statement that it produces X is false?
>>
>> Of course not. What a stupid question.
>
>Why leave out a demonstration of the system actually working? Why
>believe something that hasn't been shown to be true (speaking of
>"stupid")? That seems to me to violate fundamental principles of
>science.

Supposing for the sake of argument that my answers to those questions
were

>Why leave out a demonstration of the system actually working?

"Who knows? Bad idea = bad, bad, bad!"

>Why
>believe something that hasn't been shown to be true (speaking of
>"stupid")?

"no possible good reason, none whatever"

>That seems to me to violate fundamental principles of
>science.

"Absolutely, it certainly does",

my answer to your first question would _still_ be
"Of course not. What a stupid question."

Why don't you read the question you asked again?
You asked whether omitting a demonstration of
something demonstrates that the something is false.
That's an awesomely stupid question, and nothing
you say above has any relevance to that whatever.

>If the system in fact can't produce X, then the whole exercise is a
>waste of time. Aren't you being naive and leaving yourself open to
>the BS-ers who don't substantiate their claims because they're
>false?
>
>C-B
>
>> >2. If someone makes a claim but declines to substantiate it, does
>that
>> >demonstrate that their claim lacks any mathematical significance and
>> >that they are being dishonest to make that claim?
>> >
>> >3. If someone cites a reference and claims that the paper or text
>> >contains a certain result, but declines to quote the passage or give
>> >the page or section number that contains the result, does that
>> >demonstrate that the reference does not contain the result and they
>are
>> >being dishonest to claim that it does?
>> >
>> >4. Is a person's past history a factor in determining if a
>particular
>> >result that they present is valid or not?
>> >
>> >C-B
>>
>>
>> ************************
>>
>> David C. Ullrich

************************

David C. Ullrich

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