(no subject)

[robinturner]

Found this in kiad's userinfo (I don't know whether she agrees with it or not - probabaly not, judging by the other quotations)

The motto of the Royal Society of London is 'Nullius in verba' : trust not in words. Observation and experiment are what count, not opinion and introspection. Few working scientists have much respect for those who try to interpret nature in metaphysical terms. For most wearers of white coats, philosophy is to science as pornography is to sex: it is cheaper, easier, and some people seem, bafflingly, to prefer it. Outside of psychology it plays almost no part in the functions of the research machine.''
(Steve Jones, University College, London)
From his review of How the Mind Works (by Steve Pinker) in The New York Review of Books (pages 13-14) November 6, 1997.

Typical psychologist reaction. They're stuck with a pre-paradigmatic science, so they sling mud at anything that sound unempirical. Physicists don't have this inferiority complex, and so don't slag off philosophy.

Comments

Re: science & philosophy

[watermelonpunch.livejournal.com]

It very well could be the "novel of manners" issue. I quite like that topic, really.

But though I like Joseph Conrad, you hit it right on the spot - definitely a guy novel writer.
Indeed, there are many meandering observational descriptions of Joseph Conrad's that I found less clever and more ho-hum, while they're probably the observations a lot of men would find very shrewd.
I don't think this makes a something good or bad. It's just a matter of how in some things, men & women have different perspectives.
I can enjoy a "guy movie", for example, some are among my favourites - but I notice those elements straight away, and often find them humourous. (I'm less likely to put up with it in literature though, as time goes on. Not quite sure why.)

While I'm moved by war movies... I don't particularly seek them out. I don't enjoy that type of emotionalism. But I do know many men who do, and most of the women I know actually hate war movies.

BTW, I'm not heavy into erotic fiction, period. Though I do like romance, and certainly don't mind some erotica in a more complete story. Like mystery or action, etc.
And I must say, I've noticed I'm more interested in "sex scenes" in reading material during times I'm "not getting any" myself. In fact, I'd go so far as to say if it weren't for erotic literature, I'd probably wouldn't be such a prude... I very well might be very promiscuous. HAHAHA.