What scientific concept would benefit society most...

[lrkun]

I thought it was self explanatory. :lol:

Sorry, I'm just silly now.

It is broad and always overlooked. Because for want or flaw within communication no result or knowledge can be trusted, and this really applies to everything. But it's not even in error calculations. It shouldn't have to be, but...

Can you be more specific and state an example? Like email or such, and what I mean by email here is a form of communication. ^^

 

[Andiferous]

I have touched on my geeky theory and oh so thrilling passions here:
http://forums.leagueofreason.co.uk/viewtopic.php?p=55170#p55170
http://forums.leagueofreason.co.uk/viewtopic.php?p=77261#p77261

Don't want to thread coup d'etat again so let's not do this here.

 

[Memeticemetic]

Don't want to thread coup d'etat again so let's not do this here.

It's not really a derailment if you relate it to science. For instance I would very much consider it a scientific concept that precise definitions are a prerequisite for any scientific discussion. Not to mention pretty damn useful for communication in general. So, yeah, I agree with Lrkun (for a change ), further expansion of your point would be most welcome.

 

[obsidianavenger]

Don't want to thread coup d'etat again so let's not do this here.

It's not really a derailment if you relate it to science. For instance I would very much consider it a scientific concept that precise definitions are a prerequisite for any scientific discussion. Not to mention pretty damn useful for communication in general. So, yeah, I agree with Lrkun (for a change ), further expansion of your point would be most welcome.

technically i think thats a philosophical concept, given that its application is much broader than only science.

 

[Memeticemetic]

It's not really a derailment if you relate it to science. For instance I would very much consider it a scientific concept that precise definitions are a prerequisite for any scientific discussion. Not to mention pretty damn useful for communication in general. So, yeah, I agree with Lrkun (for a change ), further expansion of your point would be most welcome.

technically i think thats a philosophical concept, given that its application is much broader than only science.

Begrudgingly granted. But it's still a very important scientific cornerstone and I would contend that wider understanding and acceptance would benefit society at large. And I daresay Andi would agree to that as well. Hell, I daresay all of us would agree to that.

 

[Deleted member 5174]

There is an extent to this question. Simply asking "Why?" does not get us any further. This question must be pursued with a curiosity about nature and an intellectual ability to learn.

Yes, I implied curiosity when I wrote that. Curiosity begets asking Why and Hows, and asking Why and Hows begets curiosity. It is wonderful.

One extremely interesting Why question that popped into my mind when I read that was,
- "Why do people believe in a god?"

I think answering that question would be one of the best ways to start if you were to de-religionize a mass of people.
The answers could be,
- "Because they have been brought up since childhood",
- "Because they are attached to their god",
or all (these are just examples, there are too many reasons).

Once you apply the Why, like lrkun said, you can start asking how,
-" How does upbringing make people religious?", or
- "How do people become attached to a being that is hard to sense?"
Then you can ask further Hows, like,
- "How do we let children practice free thought?"
- "How do we break the cycle of indoctrination?"

When I wrote my first post, I meant on complex issues, not things such as "Why won't my car start?" when it could be simply answered by "lack of gas" (unless you were interested in how cars work).