Re: Hawking & Deming: Boiling the Human Caldron

[John <jsdwd@ispwest.com>]

> In a message dated 11/30/02 7:20:53 AM, rrramirez@cantv.net writes:
> << Each  time new experiments are observed to agree with the predictions the
> theory survives, and our confidence in it is increased; but if ever a  new
> observation is found to disagree, we have to abandon or modify the  theory.

I will suggest (as I have in these pages before) that reading Karl Popper on
the nature of inference would inform this discussion.  His ideas are quite
interesting on hypothesis, theory, confirmation, proof and inferential
thinking.  Interested parties should read about it.  There are his books and
papers (some of which I can list for interested parties).

It is interesting that Popper also wrote The Open Society and Its Enemies
which has been the basis of a lot of George Soros writing which is also
worth reading, particularly his book, The Crisis of Global Capitalism
(perhaps this dovetails with the Deming was a communist discussion that is
going on here concurrently).

John Dowd
jsdwd@ispwest.com