Re: Here's a possibility, but its a tall order; Harshman "got science,"hecandoit

Hi, Glenn.

Why is it that, whenever John tries to convince you that observations
*are* inferences, you feel that John is implying that words don't have
meaning? Why do these two words have to represent mutually-exclusive
concepts in order for them to be meaningful? Can't the word
"observation" have an "is-a" relationship with the word "inference" and
still mean something? Is the word "square" meaningless because it has
an "is-a" relationship with the word "rectangle"?

American Heritage Dictionary defines "observation" as "An inference or
a judgment that is acquired from or based on observing." It defines the
word "observe" as "To be or become aware of, especially through careful
and directed attention; notice."

Why would they define an observation as an inference if it wasn't one?
The word "observation" implies judgement, not just the collection of
data through our sensory organs. If a bowling ball falls on my head, my
nerves will alert my brain that contact has been made and my brain will
respond with a pain signal. As the bowling ball falls to the ground, my
eyes collect the light and my ears collect the resulting soundwaves.

But my observation doesn't stop there. I have to interpret these
signals and *infer* their meaning based on things I already know, i.e.
premises that I accept as a given because I have seen similar
situations before. I have seen countless examples of gravity, I can
recognize a bowling ball, and I understand the relationship between
cause and effect. Based on this, I can logically conclude that a
bowling ball has fallen on my head.

An infant, who lacks this requisite experience, will *see* the bowling
ball hit my head, but not *observe* it. They have no clue what just
took place, nor do they even know that there was anything to
understand. Yet their eyes and ears work just as well as mine.

.

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