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An experiment must be conducted in a controlled environment. Merely staring at iguanas that they found on an island, does not constitute an experiment. What are

by gizi 11y ago

An experiment must be conducted in a controlled environment. Merely staring at iguanas that they found on an island, does not constitute an experiment. What are the inputs, the outputs and the function that they have unleashed during their experiment in order to transform input into output? Furthermore, into what did they try to transform their iguanas? Into cats or dogs?

zimpenfish 11y ago
> Field experiments are so named in order to draw a contrast with laboratory experiments, which enforce scientific control by testing a hypothesis in the artificial and highly controlled setting of a laboratory. Often used in the social sciences, and especially in economic analyses of education and health interventions, field experiments have the advantage that outcomes are observed in a natural setting rather than in a contrived laboratory environment. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_experiment http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_experiment
- gizi 11y ago
  It sounds too much like you are requesting an exemption from the governing anti-alchemy policy that you would like to see suspended -- as a matter of exception -- in order to let through the gates some questionable things that we should not qualify as science. Just staring at things during a 'field experiment' will never be science. You must modify them, and we should be able to repeat your modifications. So, no thanks but no. No exemption.
  - olavk 11y ago
    Not sure what you are getting at, field observations are an important part of many sciences like biology, geology, meteorology etc. Just as an example, if you want to study animal behavior it is much more valid to study it in the natural habitat than in an artificially created environment. Sure, lab experiments area also used in these sciences, but they are really complementary to the field observations. In any case, your comment about evolving iguanas into cats and dogs indicate that you have a strange idea about about how evolution works. If a bad teacher gave you some wrong ideas then I can understand you skepticism. But you should probably try to understand evolution first before trying to criticize the theory as unscientific.
olavk 11y ago
A laboratory experiment on fruit flies is also described a bit further down the page.

by gizi 11y ago

zimpenfish 11y ago

> Field experiments are so named in order to draw a contrast with laboratory experiments, which enforce scientific control by testing a hypothesis in the artificial and highly controlled setting of a laboratory. Often used in the social sciences, and especially in economic analyses of education and health interventions, field experiments have the advantage that outcomes are observed in a natural setting rather than in a contrived laboratory environment. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_experiment http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_experiment

gizi 11y ago
It sounds too much like you are requesting an exemption from the governing anti-alchemy policy that you would like to see suspended -- as a matter of exception -- in order to let through the gates some questionable things that we should not qualify as science. Just staring at things during a 'field experiment' will never be science. You must modify them, and we should be able to repeat your modifications. So, no thanks but no. No exemption.
- olavk 11y ago
  Not sure what you are getting at, field observations are an important part of many sciences like biology, geology, meteorology etc. Just as an example, if you want to study animal behavior it is much more valid to study it in the natural habitat than in an artificially created environment. Sure, lab experiments area also used in these sciences, but they are really complementary to the field observations. In any case, your comment about evolving iguanas into cats and dogs indicate that you have a strange idea about about how evolution works. If a bad teacher gave you some wrong ideas then I can understand you skepticism. But you should probably try to understand evolution first before trying to criticize the theory as unscientific.

olavk 11y ago

A laboratory experiment on fruit flies is also described a bit further down the page.