Lee Smolin: How science is like democracy

http://www.ted.com Physicist Lee Smolin talks about how the scientific community works: as he puts it, "we fight and argue as hard as we can," but everyone accepts that the next generation of scientists will decide who's right. And, he says, that's how democracy works, too.

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[NoFreeSpeechonYT]

What part of his comment escapes you? Consensus doesn't imply truth. Like religion, just because millions of people believe it, that belief doesn't make it true.

[Jeff0059]

The answer is in the wording of your question. Belief in something does not make it a science. I may belive in ghosts, goblins, and Santa Claus but they are only beliefs not science.

[AlohaBay]

@Ilyenat Yeah okay...You didn't answer any of my questions, instead you decided to go on a rant of how people are self prescribed experts on physics after reading a book by Brian Greene. What does that have to do with sizing up Lee Smolin? You sir are not in the position to write off an accomplished physicist simply because Leonard Susskind said so. Did you get your PhD in physics lately? Probably not. Your no different from the "experts" you just described. Get a life.

[Ilyenat]

@AlohaBay Listen buddy, Lee Smolin's popular reputation does not reflect his professional reputation. See Leonard Susskind on Smolin or Lubos Motl on Smolin. You people watch a popular "science" video or attend a public "science" lecture and all of a sudden you think you know something about mathematics and physics. If you can show me that Smolin's quantum loop theory agrees with local Newtonian theory and general relativity I will listen. Get studying dumbass.

[AlohaBay]

@Ilyenat When does he come up with wrong answers? Are you only saying this because he rejects string theory in favor of other theories? Are you coming up with similar ideas that rival his?

[melliuzza]

boring lecture

[StoneSentinel]

this guy needs to stand still. holy shit.

[MomoTheBellyDancer]

Of course, old people can't have ideas. Ho hum.

[gulllars]

NoFreeSpeechonYT and Jeff0059 has a couple of good points, belief does not make truth no matter the number of believers. But i feel this should also be explicitly stated in inverse as well: Disbelief in something does not make it false, no matter the number of disbelievers.

One can however say that if a supermajority of competent people in a relevant field believes something is true, or the best explanation availible, it's more likely that there's some truth to it, but not guaranteed.

[FeelOfFriction]

This guy is a terrible presenter.

[ricomajestic]

@Ilyenat You mean bullshit like String theory is bullshit.

[Ilyenat]

@schadenn Hahaha yea only cause the general consensus is that he's always wrong. He just wants the public to now have a say because he knows that's the only crowd that will listen to his embarrassing research.