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Re: AAT is dogma
HARRY R. ERWIN (herwin@osf1.gmu.edu)
10 Aug 1995 12:44:00 GMT
Philosophy and speculation are lots of fun, but hardly experimental
science. Outsiders perceive scientists as spending most of their time
doing those things, which discourages real scientists who know what really
takes up their time. I like to philosophize and speculate, but what I
really love is a well-calibrated, thoroughly-validated model that I can
ask questions of. That really takes my time (and my MacClade primate
database is hardly in that category, although it serves a useful purpose).
I do enjoy the philosophizing (that's one of the joys of being a graduate
student), but I try to have a model or experiment in my pocket to back up
my philosophy. This is often such a surprise to the philosophers that it
generates invitations to speak, but it's also often highly unwelcome.
--
Harry Erwin
Internet: herwin@gmu.edu
Home Page: http://osf1.gmu.edu/~herwin (try a couple of times)
PhD student in comp neurosci: "Glitches happen" & "Meaning is emotional"
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