Print

[Martin X. Moleski, SJ]

See my reply in the Alternate Theories section Marty. I might add that nowhere have I ever asserted that you should accept my say-so, ...

True.  I'm drawing that inference from the number of times that you have humbly disclosed your credentials and indicated how strictly you follow your training in the science of archaeology.  The word "credentials" comes from the Latin root, credere, which means "to believe."  A person with credentials is someone worthy of belief.  In this case, the credentials you have don't apply to the field in question.

... simply that the New Britain hypothesis is currently as valid as the Nikumaroro hypothesis simply because neither has been proven to be correct.

You are, of course, utterly correct in the field of pure logic.  We may also add in alien abduction to that list, because that hypothesis has also not "been proven to be correct."  And the theory that AE never took off from Lae at all, but was replaced by a female impersonator who had been trained in espionage.  And the theory that 1400-horsepower engines were installed in Lae so as to allow the female impersonator to spy on Tokyo en route to Howland. 

Once you adopt the idea that all theories that are unproven are of equal value, it opens a whole new world of wonder to inquiring minds.  And, since your only guide to life is "proven or not proven," there is no way to pick among them rationally.

I am guided by the belief, which I grant is unproven, that it does not make sense to waste scarce resources on implausible theories.  Of course, if one were to object that "only what is proven is reasonable," I would reply that that proposition itself is unproven, and therefore, if it is true, then it is unreasonable to accept it. 

[Leon R White]

val·id (vld) adj.
Logic
a. Containing premises from which the conclusion may logically be derived: a valid argument.
b. Correctly inferred or deduced from a premise: a valid conclusion.

valid [ˈvælɪd]
adj
 -having some foundation; based on truth
 -having some force or cogency; a valid point in a debate
* (Philosophy / Logic) Logic (of an inference or argument) having premises and conclusion so related that whenever the former are true the latter must also be true, esp (formally valid) when the inference is justified by the form of the premises and conclusion alone.  Thus Socrates was a greek; Socrates is broke; all greeks are broke.

Nonsense  a communication, via speech, writing, or any other symbolic system, that lacks any coherent meaning. Sometimes in ordinary usage, nonsense is synonymous with absurdity or the ridiculous. Many politicians, novelists, and songwriters have used nonsense in their works.  In the philosophy of language and philosophy of science, nonsense is distinguished from sense or meaningfulness, and attempts have been made to come up with a coherent and consistent method of distinguishing sense from nonsense.

Quote from: Malcolm McKay on Today at 05:09:08 AM
See my reply in the Alternate Theories section Marty. I might add that nowhere have I ever asserted that you should accept my say-so, ...

May I request that this type of post be confined to the other thread. It would be, from an academic perspective, more orderly.  I would like to postulate that after concluding some flight somewhere neither AE nor Fred discussed the relative merits of discourse, logic, validity, precision, truthfulness or conjecture.  Maybe we can follow their example.

Leon White
Co-Captain of the 'Clouds in the Sky Magical Thinking' Society and Marching Band of Greater Los Angeles