🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992Aug7.020824.11525@cbnewsk.cb.att.com> noraa@cbnewsk.cb.att.com (aaron.l.hoffmeyer) writes:
>
>In article <1992Aug6.211342.7966@icd.ab.com> adnan@icd.ab.com (Adnan C. Yaqub) writes:
>>
>>>>>>> On Thu, 6 Aug 1992 19:02:14 GMT, jgreely@morganucodon.cis.ohio-state.edu (J Greely) said:
>>J> An interesting study, which seems to have been designed to reinforce
>>J> the experimenter's bias.  Why this particular "test"?  How did he
>>J> choose his samples?  Were they given information on normal sentencing
>>J> guidelines for such a crime, or gauged for their previous knowledge of
>>J> common sentences for rape?  How were the subjects selected (general
>>J> population, volunteers, judges, parents, etc)?

>>These are valid questions.  However, before you pass judgment, read
>>the study.  You seem to assume, because of the experiment devised,
>>that the researcher is biased.  Suppose you wanted to prove that
>>pornography does or does not have harmful side effects.  What
>>experiments would you choose?

>Ah, scientific method.  It helps to understand it before using it.  It

What condescension.

>is a wonderful tool.  From your statement above - "Suppose you wanted
>to prove" reveals that it would not matter what experiments were
>selected or created.  Because the key word which tends to invalidate
>any conclusions drawn from such experiments is "wanted."  There should
>be no subjective desire to prove anything - only a desire to find out
                                                    ^^^^^^
>what is really going on.

Geez, you are way off base here.  He said "wanted to prove that it
does OR DOES NOT...".  You say the key word is wanted, and then you
say you should "desire to find out".  Can you explain the difference
between want and desire ?

Experiments are performed with the intent of concluding something.  
You contrast the phrases, "desire to prove..." and "desire to find 
out...".  Without loss of generality we can say "desire to conclude ...".  
If you don't believe that an experiment will produce any conclusions, 
why perform the experiment?  As far as bias is concerned, I think an 
objective observer would conclude that both sides of this thread are 
biased.  

>Aaron L. Hoffmeyer
>TR@CBNEA.ATT.COM 

Brian Adkins