Reply To: Plan B for Focus Fusion

[asymmetric_implosion]

balsysr wrote: There are no facts in science, only hypotheses that have stood the test of time. What this means to me is that we can never be sure that what we believe is truth. We must always test our assumptions and replicate our data measures, looking for the errors, and the new ways that we can interpret the data. It is only by doing this that real progress in Science can be achieved.

I have an on-going argument about the relationship of Science to Religion. He is starting to convince me they are similar. You seem to state the same thing. You cannot know; you can only believe. I will pass it along to my friend.

I agree that some rethinking needs to be done, but I don’t know that substantially different conclusions will be drawn. Who knows for sure. Einstein was mentioned but it needs to be said he was attacked heavily in his day by those that couldn’t accept his theories. I’m not saying they are 100% correct but many tests have shown his theories are predictive, which is the true test of any theory. GPS would not work if general relativity did not apply. A general relativity correction is made to GPS satellites to keep them accurate. The lifetime of muons is known to be longer when they are traveling near the speed of light consistent with special relativity. Relativity is a complicated theory and I don’t claim to understand it, but I think it generally does well as theories go. Dark matter and other less tested theories need some more time. People are exploring alternatives to dark matter. In fact, one is based upon general relativity. I wouldn’t toss out the old knowledge yet, but I am up for looking at old things in a new light.

Gravity waves, the Higgs Boson and other less proven points demand a change of thinking but I look at the experiments and money as a way to find the right answers. Proving something doesn’t exist can be as important as proving it does exist.