3 ms·

>That isn't the case at all. We have equations we use to predict observations, and in certain cases, those observations are not quite matching what we predicted

>That isn't the case at all. We have equations we use to predict observations, and in certain cases, those observations are not quite matching what we predicted. There are a lot of reasons why this can happen, and using the equations poorly is but one of them. This is absolutely correct. What is its clear (and as evidenced by some of the replies to your comment) is that many so-called "scientists" are filled with hubris and lacking intellectual curiosity. They believe (more or less) that we know how "things work" even though our commonly accepted formulas and equations about how "things work" don't add up. In their minds, its just a matter of discovering a still-hidden particle or detecting "dark matter" or "dark energy" that must exist, because they are certain that their understanding of the universe is how things must be. Unfortunately, this is the opposite of how science works. Real science is based on verifiable measurements and observations that can be replicated and verified. Its fine and dandy to come up with formulas and hypotheses based on incomplete data sets, based on how you think things might be, as long as you understand that you could very well be wrong - no matter how well a given hypothesis may seem to work for a selected, discrete set of measurements.

BlueTemplar 7y ago
I have this feeling as well, but now I realize that [citation needed]...
superqd 7y ago
Yeah, basically that happens. I ran into this in school as well, as some professors accepted the current models as reality, which is what made me so sad in grad school when I realized how untrue this was. I think of physics as a program. That program is built internally of the various models/equations, and that program takes a set of inputs, which are observables, and a time index. The output is the same set of observables, but with their values at the time index input. That is, physics essentially predicts (forward and backward) from a given set of observations, a new set of observations. So to me, whenever the output observables do not accord with actual measurement, I first assume there must be something in the program that is wrong. Dark Matter is the equivalent of assuming that there must be another set of missing input observables into the physics program. It's possible, but to me the most likely first cause of the inconsistency is the program itself, as that is, as you said, how science works.
- StanislavPetrov 7y ago
  Unfortunately (as evidenced by the downvotes to the post you have replied to) many people have their entire careers and, more importantly, understanding of reality married to orthodoxy. In many ways this world view is like a religion. Dogma that has been accepted and internalized. Its sad and ironic that these people consider themselves to be scientist when, in actuality, their defense of dogma is the opposite of what science is all about.

BlueTemplar 7y ago

I have this feeling as well, but now I realize that [citation needed]...

superqd 7y ago

Yeah, basically that happens. I ran into this in school as well, as some professors accepted the current models as reality, which is what made me so sad in grad school when I realized how untrue this was. I think of physics as a program. That program is built internally of the various models/equations, and that program takes a set of inputs, which are observables, and a time index. The output is the same set of observables, but with their values at the time index input. That is, physics essentially predicts (forward and backward) from a given set of observations, a new set of observations. So to me, whenever the output observables do not accord with actual measurement, I first assume there must be something in the program that is wrong. Dark Matter is the equivalent of assuming that there must be another set of missing input observables into the physics program. It's possible, but to me the most likely first cause of the inconsistency is the program itself, as that is, as you said, how science works.

StanislavPetrov 7y ago
Unfortunately (as evidenced by the downvotes to the post you have replied to) many people have their entire careers and, more importantly, understanding of reality married to orthodoxy. In many ways this world view is like a religion. Dogma that has been accepted and internalized. Its sad and ironic that these people consider themselves to be scientist when, in actuality, their defense of dogma is the opposite of what science is all about.