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Because of course a blog titled "Solutions to 5 Major Problems in Physics" wouldn't be talking out of its own ass. Among other things claimed to be solved on th

by Osmium 14y ago

Because of course a blog titled "Solutions to 5 Major Problems in Physics" wouldn't be talking out of its own ass. Among other things claimed to be solved on there are problems related to dark energy and quantum gravity. Perhaps the sarcastic tone is too much, but "peer review" (flawed though it may be) exists for a reason. If there's a paper, you should link that instead, and if there isn't a paper then maybe that tells you something. There's too much crap on the Internet and it makes it far too easy for a layman to be led astray by almost-but-not-quite logic. I don't know if your link is an example of that or not, but I've seen far too many blogs that claim to have solved some big mystery that's alluded great minds for the last several decades, but yet somehow their work remains unpublished.

tuppol 14y ago
So you didn't even read the content of his link, but somehow you felt entitled to dismiss it on the basis that... on what basis, exactly? That no information that wasn't pre-approved by a certified, "well-respected" expert is worth considering? Science doesn't work like that. Academia does.
- pdonis 14y ago
  Have you read the content of his link? I have; its reasoning is invalid.
  - genwin 14y ago
    Should we just take your word for that?
    - pdonis 14y ago
      No, you should read the link, and/or you should ask me what I'm basing my judgment on. [Edit: I see you did just that elsewhere in the thread, I'll respond there.]
      - deleted 14y ago
        [deleted]
- Osmium 14y ago
  It's an admirable attitude to have but sadly only in theory. In practice there's sadly far too much crackpottery on the Internet. That's absolutely fine if the only people reading it are experts who can judge it for themselves, but often that isn't the case. If you are an expert then I agree; don't dismiss something out of hand because it isn't peer reviewed! but if you're one of those people, you don't need to be told that. To illustrate my point, consider the hoards of climate change deniers, or young earthers out there. To someone who doesn't study the climate or geology, their arguments might sound valid but are actually dangerously misleading. Physics crackpottery is a slightly more intellectual version of that, in that the subject matter isn't accessible to most, but it's no less dangerous. And there's so much of it. So, so much. Some physics bloggers have all but given up the will having battled these people for so long. They're like the conspiracy theorists of the science world. So I feel like it's not unreasonable for a layman to dismiss things out of hand until it's been properly peer reviewed. We should all be wary of argument to authority, but perhaps less so to argument to experience and mutual respect.
genwin 14y ago
Peer review may exist for a reason but there's no evidence it helps to advance science. There is evidence however that peer review has blocked valid works. It may be throwing the babies out with the bath water.

by Osmium 14y ago

tuppol 14y ago

So you didn't even read the content of his link, but somehow you felt entitled to dismiss it on the basis that... on what basis, exactly? That no information that wasn't pre-approved by a certified, "well-respected" expert is worth considering? Science doesn't work like that. Academia does.

pdonis 14y ago
Have you read the content of his link? I have; its reasoning is invalid.
- genwin 14y ago
  Should we just take your word for that?
  - pdonis 14y ago
    No, you should read the link, and/or you should ask me what I'm basing my judgment on. [Edit: I see you did just that elsewhere in the thread, I'll respond there.]
    - deleted 14y ago
      [deleted]
Osmium 14y ago
It's an admirable attitude to have but sadly only in theory. In practice there's sadly far too much crackpottery on the Internet. That's absolutely fine if the only people reading it are experts who can judge it for themselves, but often that isn't the case. If you are an expert then I agree; don't dismiss something out of hand because it isn't peer reviewed! but if you're one of those people, you don't need to be told that. To illustrate my point, consider the hoards of climate change deniers, or young earthers out there. To someone who doesn't study the climate or geology, their arguments might sound valid but are actually dangerously misleading. Physics crackpottery is a slightly more intellectual version of that, in that the subject matter isn't accessible to most, but it's no less dangerous. And there's so much of it. So, so much. Some physics bloggers have all but given up the will having battled these people for so long. They're like the conspiracy theorists of the science world. So I feel like it's not unreasonable for a layman to dismiss things out of hand until it's been properly peer reviewed. We should all be wary of argument to authority, but perhaps less so to argument to experience and mutual respect.

genwin 14y ago

Peer review may exist for a reason but there's no evidence it helps to advance science. There is evidence however that peer review has blocked valid works. It may be throwing the babies out with the bath water.