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by tptacek 3152 days ago
Wait, no, it's not "the point of science" to be "convincing to even a skeptic". Scientific reasoning is not a vote, or a talent show.
1 comments

> Scientific reasoning is not a vote, or a talent show.

Sure it is. It evolved from "natural philosophers" showing off their work to each other. People have always been able to convince themselves of things, but scientific rigor is about convincing other people (i.e., being objective).

The hallmark of scientific objectivity is not convincing other people, but making correct (and testable) statements about reality.
Why is testability important? How do we know if something is correct?

The point is to be convincing to a rational mind. It's not a persuasion contest, no. The evidence should speak for itself. But it needs to speak to an audience.

Otherwise it would be a self indulgent exercise and not a corporate one.