Re: Evidence for "Big Bang Theory"
Bruce D. Scott (bds@ipp-garching.mpg.de)
30 Apr 1995 20:14:32 GMT
Robert Roosen (roosen@crash.cts.com) wrote:
: Phil A. Willems (paw@cco.caltech.edu) wrote:
: : Nothing exists without an underlying set of assumptions
: : which are untestable. But to continually draw attention to that
: : fact is boring, leads nowhere, and ignores important differences
: : between opposing viewpoints.
: That's the whole point. One of the assumptions is that
: astronomical cosmology has somehow been freed from its cultural biases.
: In point of fact, it has not and cannot.
: As long as the assumptions are pleasing to you and supportive of
: your living, I don't blame you for liking them. It is called conflict of
: interest in my culture.
: However, to many other cultures, these assumptions are
: patently ridiculous and are tools of oppression. e g the Hopi culture.
Robert, you should remember that what is good for the other guy is also
good for you: your assumtions about what we are up to are also culturally
dependent, and you cannot claim them for "truth". And you benefit mightily
in the psychological sphere by taking your stance, as this helps absolve
your part of the collective responsibility we all have in our cultures'
role in having visited disaster on the aboriginal populations of our
countries.
You may not care for my belief system or what surrounds it -- what you are
calling conflict of interest; that is your right. But you should in turn
respect the fact that what I will call self-hate is not my game.
Cheers; agree to disagree. This is the first step to cultural tolerance.
--
Gruss,
Dr Bruce Scott The deadliest bullshit is
Max-Planck-Institut fuer Plasmaphysik odorless and transparent
bds@ipp-garching.mpg.de -- W Gibson
|