“As I once said to someone who questioned whether humans were really related to apes: “That question might have made sense when Darwin first came up with the hypothesis, but this is the twenty-first century. We can read the genes. Human beings and chimpanzees have 95% shared genetic material. It’s over.” ”
I don’t believe any scientist worth their lab-coat would ever use the phrase “It’s over”.
One of the central tenets of science is constant questioning and healthy skepticism. Statements which imply that ‘since it’s good enough to convince you it’s the end of the debate’ do not endear those of the scientific community to others.
I understand that leaving room for doubt and refusing to ever be 100% certain may be seen as a weakness that people can exploit, but these are the very principles that will make science stand the test of time and should not be casually discarded to remove short term hassle.
I will never let gut feeling blind me in the face of evidence and will always look at any new facts with an open mind—evolution or otherwise—and as a purveyor of such science I believe that it is your responsibility to do likewise.
One of the common tropes around here is that zero and one are not probabilities (that’s probability in the Bayesian sense). When Eliezer writes “it’s over”, he doesn’t mean that no evidence could convince him otherwise; he just means that he assesses the probability of observing such evidence as negligible in light of the currently available evidence. (Or at least, that’s my understanding.)
That is not how I interpreted the statement. To me it conveyed a strong dismissal of any further discussion on the subject.
Since the context was in conversation with a skeptic who could clearly have benefited from a clear and reasoned argument but was instead presented with this comment, my opinion is that this undermines the issue.
I am willing to accept that this may not have been the intention of the statement.
“As I once said to someone who questioned whether humans were really related to apes: “That question might have made sense when Darwin first came up with the hypothesis, but this is the twenty-first century. We can read the genes. Human beings and chimpanzees have 95% shared genetic material. It’s over.” ”
I don’t believe any scientist worth their lab-coat would ever use the phrase “It’s over”.
One of the central tenets of science is constant questioning and healthy skepticism. Statements which imply that ‘since it’s good enough to convince you it’s the end of the debate’ do not endear those of the scientific community to others.
I understand that leaving room for doubt and refusing to ever be 100% certain may be seen as a weakness that people can exploit, but these are the very principles that will make science stand the test of time and should not be casually discarded to remove short term hassle.
I will never let gut feeling blind me in the face of evidence and will always look at any new facts with an open mind—evolution or otherwise—and as a purveyor of such science I believe that it is your responsibility to do likewise.
Welcome to LessWrong!
One of the common tropes around here is that zero and one are not probabilities (that’s probability in the Bayesian sense). When Eliezer writes “it’s over”, he doesn’t mean that no evidence could convince him otherwise; he just means that he assesses the probability of observing such evidence as negligible in light of the currently available evidence. (Or at least, that’s my understanding.)
The phrase “it’s over” shouldn’t be taken to mean that we can learn no new facts; rather that we cannot go back to a previous state of ignorance.
That is not how I interpreted the statement. To me it conveyed a strong dismissal of any further discussion on the subject.
Since the context was in conversation with a skeptic who could clearly have benefited from a clear and reasoned argument but was instead presented with this comment, my opinion is that this undermines the issue.
I am willing to accept that this may not have been the intention of the statement.
Welcome to LessWrong!