Re: Science and debate (a ramble)

Katharine Thayer wrote:
> ...
> My background is in science: ...
> Where I come from, it would be
> considered rude and uncollegial, a breach of faith, if a colleague
> suggested an hypothesis he was entertaining or shared some findings and
> inferences he was drawing from those findings, and you knew of findings
> that didn't support your colleague's hypothesis or inference but didn't
> share those contradictory findings with your colleague so that he could
> use them to refine his thinking on the issue. Where I come from, the
> progress of knowledge is considered a group effort; ...
> ...
> At any rate, the goal on my part was simply to contribute to a dialogue
> that hopefully might further our collective understanding, ...
> ...
> But if people would assume, as I try to assume of everyone, that the
> purpose for everyone here is to collectively figure out what's going on
> with our processes, ...

Certainly I consider this to be the most important facet of this list
and the major (as well as necessary) reason I participate in this list
as well as why I have put together a free e-guide for Pd/Pt printing. A
side benefit of this list has been meeting some fascinating
photographers from around the globe. But then, I too have a science
background. Bettering my understanding of the process, that's what's in
it for me. As one travels the path they are sure to find distractions.

-- 
Jeffrey D. Mathias
http://home.att.net/~jeffrey.d.mathias/