I guess I have read too much literature that places value
on honest, fact-based 'reporting' as opposed to out-right
conjecture and the "Jerry Springer Show" approach to
science that N(p)S publishes .. the likes of the BSTJ,
the IRE proceedings - oh, but wait!

Some of these pubs I've been reading are over fourty years
old - so, maybe it's just this "new" generation of populist
science that I'm objecting too. Maybe it's the fact that
the pubs I've been reading are *applied science* as opposed
to bleeding edge 'guesswork' science that shoots off in every
direction hoping to hit a target on a galactic dartboard
somewhere ...

RF Jim


----- Original Message -----
From: "Russell McMahon" <apptech@PARADISE.NET.NZ>
To: <PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU>
Sent: Monday, August 12, 2002 9:07 AM
Subject: Re: [OT]: Free New Scientist weekly email newsletter


> > Scientific Journals - you're putting New (political)
> > Scientist in the same category as bona-fide "science
> > journals"?
> >
> > Shame shame ...
>
> 1.    No. I wasn't. That is a different issue that I'll deal with in 2.
> below.
>
> Take the statement at face value.
> What I was saying is that Science is about NOT making hard statements of
> fact. (Even, about NOT making hard statements of fact). When you get hard
> statements is usually when the trouble begins. All too often the place
where
> Science goes off the rail is when theories become "received facts" &
attain
> almost God-like reverence.
>
> No examples from current "Science" will be provied of course :-)
>
> 2.    Yes & no. I consider that New Scientist is a good source of
Scientific
> knowledge, but that is entirely independent of my comments. Like ALL
current
> publications the mind set, world-view and general perspective need to be
> kept in mind. NS is of course much more populist than the proceedings of
> learned societies and the like but also generally much more wide ranging
(as
> one would reasonably expect).
>
> 3.    Which of New Scientists proclamations or positions do you find
> politically (presumably) unacceptable.
> Maybe their ongoing warnings about the dangers of Genetic Engineering ?
:-)
>
>
>
>
>         Russell McMahon
>

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