XPost: sci.physics.relativity   
   From: bill.sloman@ieee.org   
      
   On 23/02/2026 10:28 pm, J. J. Lodder wrote:   
   > Bill Sloman  wrote:   
   >   
   >> On 23/02/2026 6:34 am, J. J. Lodder wrote:   
   >>> Bill Sloman  wrote:   
   >>>   
   >>>> On 22/02/2026 12:20 am, Ross Finlayson wrote:   
   >>>>> On 02/21/2026 04:56 AM, Bill Sloman wrote:   
   >>>>>> On 21/02/2026 4:52 pm, Ross Finlayson wrote:   
   >>>>>>> On 02/20/2026 09:41 PM, Ross Finlayson wrote:   
   >>>>>>>> On 02/20/2026 09:11 PM, Bill Sloman wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>> On 21/02/2026 6:13 am, Ross Finlayson wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>>> On 02/20/2026 10:52 AM, Ross Finlayson wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>>>> On 02/20/2026 10:31 AM, Bill Sloman wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>>>>> On 21/02/2026 3:47 am, Ross Finlayson wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> On 02/19/2026 11:45 PM, Bill Sloman wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>> On 20/02/2026 10:48 am, Ross Finlayson wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> On 02/19/2026 11:19 AM, Bill Sloman wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> On 20/02/2026 2:44 am, Ross Finlayson wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> On 02/19/2026 01:45 AM, Bill Sloman wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> On 19/02/2026 6:13 am, Ross Finlayson wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> On 02/18/2026 11:06 AM, Ross Finlayson wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> On 02/17/2026 08:35 PM, Bill Sloman wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> On 18/02/2026 5:37 am, Ross Finlayson wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> On 02/17/2026 09:47 AM, Thomas 'PointedEars' Lahn wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Ross Finlayson wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> On 02/17/2026 03:49 AM, J. J. Lodder wrote:   
      
      
      
   >>> You are a naive positivist, I see.   
   >>> Not unsuprising, for an engineer.   
   >>   
   >> It comes with the territory. Theories can be useful tools. The capacity   
   >> to junk bad and unhelpful theories is a necessary part of the   
   >> engineering tool-kit.   
   >   
   > Certainly. Good engineering, perhaps,   
   > but it doesn't lead to understanding of science,   
      
   I've published papers in peer-reviewed journals, and several of them   
   have been cited - one of them 26 times (admittedly two of those cites   
   were by me). That makes me a scientist. Nothing special as scientists go   
   - my wife published some 350 papers, some of which got more than a   
   thousand citations, and that got her quite a lot of recognition.   
      
   I don't think that there is any conflict between scientific competence   
   and engineering competence. Engineers aren't encourage to publish, while   
   publication is central to the scientific ideal, but that doesn't affect   
   understanding.   
      
   Scientist have quite as much need to junk bad and unhelpful theories as   
   engineers, but the publication aspect means that they can need to be   
   more diplomatic about it.   
      
   --   
   Bill Sloman, Sydney   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)