Douglas_Knight2 comments on Science as Attire - Less Wrong

48 Post author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 23 August 2007 05:10AM

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Comment author: Douglas_Knight2 24 August 2007 12:24:57AM 0 points [-]

I think people should be more careful about the word "science." Here are some meanings I see attached to it:

1. knowledge of nature 2. naturalism 3. "the scientific method" 4. institutions practicing the scientific method 5. rules of a particular institution 6. the output of institutions

I feel compelled to add that what I mean by "the scientific method" is that observation should drive belief and that we can put effort into obtaining useful observations (experiments, stamp collecting). Also, it may be useful to distinguish between institutional rules intended to protect the institution from cheaters and rules intended to protect people from their own biases.