"Science Fiction and Speculations"...

[The Bear's Key]

I think we can use a science fiction addition to the boards, where enthusiasts can post stories that are extrapolated from modern science knowledge and prospects, with readers offering input and maybe even critique if asked. Who knows, it could turn out wildy popular, and besides -- it might help a solve an issue we tend to have....

 

Pseudoscience carries a negative aura. It's like the armpit of the science forums, marring a professionally laid-out website, gathering the ridiculous in its stinky corner, and where little of the discussion is expected to be productive.

 

Maybe we can even rename it to

 

"Science Fiction and Wild Guesses"

 

As a side effect, people (usually newcomers) might feel less betrayed by having their posts moved, as the section would actually a neat purpose, rather than being considered a garbage depository.

[Royston]

Pseudoscience carries a negative aura. It's like the armpit of the science forums, marring a professionally laid-out website, gathering the ridiculous in its stinky corner, and where little of the discussion is expected to be productive.

 

But that's just it...a large majority of threads that get migrated to P&S are ridiculous. It's easy to conjure up a load of nonsense, with no science backing it up (hence there's so much of it). For the most part, it's an exercise in critical thinking, e.g when somebody proposes some flaw in relativity, and it's up to the respondents to give constructive feedback.

 

On occasion, you do get the 'is it possible that' type of questions, and the poster has the sense to know they're speculating, and have no qualms posting in that section. If the person is not willing to accept that their idea isn't speculative or pseudo-scientific, that's their problem. Personally, I think a large number of threads that get moved to P&S, should be moved to the official jokes section. You'll get the same retorts, whatever you name it...'my life's work, moved to a science fiction forum...what is this !?!'

 

It is a shame, that there's so much drivel that finds it's way into P&S, and not speculation that has, at least, a level of rigor behind the arguments, which could include a mathematical model for instance.

[Daecon]

You mean people don't deliberately post in the Pseudoscience & Speculations forum?

[Moontanman]

From what I've seen the P&S section often has the threads that are the most fun! I have no problem having a thread in the P&S section but then again my ego seldom allows me to contradict reality.

[padren]

Pseudoscience and speculations are both pretty easy to define, generally they are attempts to describe real world phenomena in a manner that does not live up to a scientific level because either A) it's purely speculative or B) what "science" there is on the topic is so loose it can only be considered pseudoscience.

 

The common theme though: It's proposing an idea for the real underlying mechanism to some aspect of how the universe works.

 

 

As much as I love science fiction - it's an entirely different beast. The litmus test is generally (for harder science fiction) whether something seems plausible, in which answers to current questions are given seemingly workable yet untested answers... to (for softer science fiction) axioms of "stuff that exists" in a given fictional reality, and a general discussion of how they would impact that reality, how they would be put to use, and how to maintain internal consistency between them to better maintain suspension of disbelief.

 

Science fiction is fun, but it is quite different from P&S.

[Pangloss]

You mean something like a subforum with a requirement that the suggestion/speculation can only be made if it comes from a specific work of speculative fiction? E.G. "teleportation" from Stark Trek?

 

Problem is you wouldn't restrict all the replies to having an SF origin, so how do you stop it from degrading to the level of some of the nonsense we see in P&S?

[ajb]

Pseudoscience and speculations are both pretty easy to define, generally they are attempts to describe real world phenomena in a manner that does not live up to a scientific level because either A) it's purely speculative or B) what "science" there is on the topic is so loose it can only be considered pseudoscience.

 

I think that placing pseudoscience on equal footing with speculation is not very productive.

 

You can make speculations* in a scientific way. Indeed, to an extent science is speculative. You have an idea and you see it if works out. (Either agrees with nature or mathematically consistent, whatever you are looking for.)

 

 

______

 

* How does this differ from a conjecture?

[padren]

You mean something like a subforum with a requirement that the suggestion/speculation can only be made if it comes from a specific work of speculative fiction? E.G. "teleportation" from Stark Trek?

 

Problem is you wouldn't restrict all the replies to having an SF origin, so how do you stop it from degrading to the level of some of the nonsense we see in P&S?

 

I could be wrong but I read it as a subforum where the requirement is you are building on an idea not as a "theory for how the real world works" but "something cool that would be great in scifi." so it's not about the origins, but the metrics the ideas are evaluated by.

[The Bear's Key]

I could be wrong but I read it as a subforum where the requirement is you are building on an idea not as a "theory for how the real world works" but "something cool that would be great in scifi." so it's not about the origins, but the metrics the ideas are evaluated by.

Correct, but more like a Writer's Corner -- stories of entertainment that deal with futuristic or undiscovered-as-of-yet science.

[iNow]

I think speculations are fine in the primary forums, as long as the poster uses the scientific method and accepted science to do that exploration. Same with science fiction. For example, talking about a transporter (ala Star Trek) is fine in the Physics forum as long as you continue to reference accepted physics ideas and support your posts with math.

 

My point... I am not too sure another new section is required. We've got P&S, and the rest fit neatly into the primary forums as long as the posts are supported and do not ignore accepted physics.

[padren]

I think that placing pseudoscience on equal footing with speculation is not very productive.

 

I wasn't trying to say they are both of equal footing, I was just saying they both fall short of established scientific rigors and as such "P&S" makes a good grouping for both types of ideas.

[The Bear's Key]

I think speculations are fine in the primary forums, as long as the poster uses the scientific method and accepted science to do that exploration. Same with science fiction. For example, talking about a transporter (ala Star Trek) is fine in the Physics forum as long as you continue to reference accepted physics ideas and support your posts with math.

Maybe I sould have elaborated a bit more. I'm taking about writing fiction: someone develops a plot, characters, and a scenario, then posts it for our reading enjoyment and critiques.

 

Also, I offered "Science Fiction" as a name-change, which replaces "Pseudoscience" instead creating a new subforum. We keep the rest of it ("and Speculations") unchanged or even change it to "Wild Guesses".

 

Regardless, no one's able to post fiction stories they came up with in any section they wish.

[Theophrastus]

Scientifically speaking, science fiction is a manner of speculation, which while all fun and good, I don't think that a subcategory should be made for it as this is a science forum, not a literary. If you're interested in writing a little bit of science fiction, and asking for opinion on the scientific parts of it, by all means, do so. I have no problems with that, and it would be an interesting idea, particularly with the rapidly expanding realm of quantum physics, string theory, and the like, though I don't feel the topic is broad enough to have its own subcategory.

 

To ajb: I agree that speculations are perfectly adequate as long as they are done based upon concrete scientific fact. Honestly, I find that any reasonable speculation, easily has a place in any of the other subcategory. Let us say I am to make speculation regarding the nature of astatine based upon trends upon the periodic table. Such speculation, as long as I used concrete fact to back it up would be adequate. Obviously, Arbitrarily stating that I believe Astatine to glow pink, to have a gaseous form, and the ability to grant wishes, and work a typewriter, would be inadequate. This can obviously be sent to the garbage can P&S. To conclude, I think that any adequate speculation, can easily be applied in any of the other categories, or else, general science.

Edited May 13, 2009 by Theophrastus
initial grammatical error