I read your recent comment on Roger Pielke Jr.’s Blog. I thought it perceptive and succinct. So I came over here. Nice post. I too have been wondering why the scientific method is so difficult and unnatural for most people.

Everybody’s perspective is a little different. Reading your perspective has helped me better understand my own perspective. Thanks.

My perspective is common. I think that people tend to confuse a sense of conviction with the perception of truth. Put another way, a belief that for the important and difficult issues, feelings are more trustworthy than facts. And I think that most people believe the ends justify the means, whereas for the scientific method – the means justify the ends.

But I like your analogy of scientists publishing scientific theory and experimental data as the not fully comprehensible holy dogma of oracles. If the oracles represent your faith, they are revered. If not, or deemed a false (non-consensus) oracle, their writings can be dismissed out of hand. IMHO, an easy to understand and potentially very useful perspective.

George