Re: paleonet Homo sapiens / H. erectus introgression

[John Jackson <strangetruther@xxxxxxxxx>]

> and absence of evidence is not
> evidence of absence.
> K.Burton

My favourite is: "Thought is the servant of action":

You're looking up and down the road, about to cross. 
Now do you believe there is no such thing as evidence
of absence?  No, or you'd never cross a road.

How much lack of evidence is equivalent to absence is
what half of statistics is about, and that popular
little truism is a wicked little falsism every time
it's used, as it so often is, by politicians and civil
servants, but should never be by scientists!


As for Popper, far be it from me to warn against him,
indeed I celebrate him here...

http://www.geocities.com/strangetruther/pottedpopper.html
,

...but perhaps crystalised Popper is enough:

Evidence is NOT observation(s) "somewhat" compatible
with one theory, but observation(s) better predicted
or explained by one theory than another.

I don't know of any palaeontologist except Pete Wagner
and myself who appears to recognise this as the
definition of science.  I'm sorry but not following
this principle is like being a creationist; in fact,
in a number of ways, worse.


Cordially,

JJ

http://www.geocities.com/strangetruther/picphilos1.html

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