[meteorite-list] Try divining rods over a large iron

From: Chris Peterson <clp_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Wed, 13 Oct 2010 22:24:55 -0600
Message-ID: <71C26C4112DC483EBB5B92C5B4CB53B4_at_bellatrix>

He isn't offering an opinion on theoretical physics. He's talking about a
phenomenon which there's no evidence he has studied, and he's talking about
physiology, about which he was not an expert.

Einstein is stating a philosophical viewpoint, not a scientific one. He
wrote a good deal about philosophical matters- much of it rather amateurish.
So I'll stick by my original assessment: in this matter, Einstein's opinion
carries no special weight. This is an absolutely classic example of the
fallacy of appeal to authority.

Chris

*****************************************
Chris L Peterson
Cloudbait Observatory
http://www.cloudbait.com


----- Original Message -----
From: "JoshuaTreeMuseum" <joshuatreemuseum at embarqmail.com>
To: <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Wednesday, October 13, 2010 9:57 PM
Subject: [meteorite-list] Try divining rods over a large iron


> Chris,
> Let me get this straight, the author of Special Relativity is unqualified
> to offer an expert opinion on theoretical physics. I would be better off
> conferring with Joe Blow from Kokomo, the guy that picks through the trash
> in the alley. Joe claims to have invented string theory, but lost his
> mathematical abilities in a motorcycle accident. Let me see now, when it
> comes to matters of physics, I should appeal not the authority of the
> inventor of E=mc2, but to Crazy Joe. Now that's what I would call
> fallacious reasoning at its best!
>
> Phil Whitmer
Received on Thu 14 Oct 2010 12:24:55 AM PDT