Guest guest Posted March 26, 2011 Report Share Posted March 26, 2011 Hi Eva, Anne and all, I agree, Anne, compiling a database according to scientific principles would be a huge task, but as Eva suggests, not impossible. Exclusion criteria would need to be developed (e.g. do pharmacological studies count as evidence, what role do case series play) and critiqued - it is definitely a task that would require more than 1 or 2 people... The majority on this list apparently privileges tradition and magical thinking, with EBM data providing additional bits of info " as far as it goes " . Compiling said database would require the view that an approach based on scientific methodologies is superior, that such methodologies are infinitely better able to provide justified true belief (i.e. knowledge) than tradition, uncontrolled personal observation, dowsing or other magical procedures. This view is clearly rejected by the majority here. The fact that tradition is seen to provide definite knowledge, while all scientific knowledge is by definition open to challenge and therefore not only disputable but subject to change ('scientists continually argue' was given as a reason for preferring tradition), makes tradition a very reassuring and attractive option. However, as soon as magical thinking/intuition is included as a source of justification (rather than as a means of forming hypotheses), rigour goes out the door. 'Traditional knowledge', while a useful starting point, causes similar problems in regard to justification. I may find it depressing, but the reality is that the vast majority on this list appears to believe that tradition and/or magical thinking/intuition can provide justification as well as if not better than scientific methodologies. For them a discussion about an epistemic system based solely on scientific methodologies is clearly irrelevant, making this forum the wrong place in which to discuss such a project. In any case, as Graham has pointed out, this is intended to be a list on which to discuss case histories. Thanking you for this discussion and engagement, best regards, Sabine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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