The psychology of labelling others as crackpots

  • Thread starter Thread starter Meatbot
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Psychology
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the labeling of individuals as "crackpots" within the scientific community, particularly in relation to unconventional ideas and theories. Participants explore the motivations behind such labeling, the criteria used to identify "crackpots," and the implications of these labels on scientific discourse and innovation.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants argue that scientists are quick to label unconventional thinkers as crackpots, suggesting a hostility that discourages open discussion and exploration of new ideas.
  • Others contend that the term "crackpot" is rarely used, as such individuals are often not taken seriously by the scientific community, and their ideas do not typically reach mainstream discourse.
  • A participant mentions criteria for identifying crackpots, emphasizing that these should be applied judiciously to avoid mislabeling individuals who may have legitimate but unconventional ideas.
  • Concerns are raised about the chilling effect of labeling, which may prevent innovative thinkers from sharing their ideas for fear of being dismissed.
  • Some argue that while skepticism is necessary, there should be a balance between encouraging new theories and ensuring that individuals have a solid understanding of existing scientific principles before proposing new ideas.
  • There is a discussion about the speculative nature of many scientific theories and the need for a careful evaluation of new ideas based on incomplete information and potential risks.
  • One participant expresses a personal opinion that certain theories, such as the Many-Worlds Interpretation (MWI), are inherently crackpot ideas, regardless of the mathematical support they may have.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of views on the appropriateness of labeling individuals as crackpots, with no clear consensus on the motivations behind such labeling or the criteria for its application. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the balance between skepticism and encouragement of innovative ideas.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the subjective nature of what constitutes a "crackpot" idea, the variability in individual interpretations of scientific validity, and the potential biases in applying criteria for labeling.

  • #31
dst said:
Interesting - this?
http://forums.myspace.com/t/3630410.aspx?fuseaction=forums.viewthread&PageIndex=3&SortOrder=0



:smile:
Hey! That's my boy! :biggrin: He starts off sounding sane enough, but then as you start to dig a little deeper ... :bugeye:
 
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #32
OmCheeto said:
Ignorons? hmmmm...
Oh, this really is shooting fish in a barrel, but this guy really is priceless. Here's private message I was privileged enough to receive:

Read Dr.Ameen's Ignorons Quantum Field Theory to understand your confusion of what are neutrinos oscillation.Remember photon masslessness is due to induced levitation effects as Dr.Ameen's disovery

http://www.myspace.com/syedameen

P.S:
my replies are facing some dirty hacker who is not posting my responses and replies,although my name and photo appears but message is gobbled.Perhaps this is deliberate as I had been a dissident U.S. scientist whom Intelligence agents want to discredit and not let to be exposed?!It is a shame but that what happening evry time
If you go to his profile page you can read about his "PHYSICS OF IGNORONS , SCIENTIFICATION THEORY & APPLICATIONS"

I once posted a reply to one of his where I claimed, with great excitement, to have discovered that his theory of ignorons was equivalent to my own theory, based on fundamental particles I called "morons". Turns out they're just different states of the same underlying "simpleton" particle! I went on to discuss such things as the spontaneous production of massive hardons and so forth, and you know what reponse I got? Not a peep! No one even blinked! Gotta love MySpace!
 
  • #33
you should email him again----(maybe the email got lost in leviton space)
 

Similar threads

News Ban Political Labels: A Modest Proposal from the Bush Tax Cuts Thread
  • · Replies 22 ·
Replies
22
Views
4K
How will public react if we discover life on another planet?
  • · Replies 12 ·
Replies
12
Views
2K
Food labels and nutrition references
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
I want to help Physics education. What should I do?
  • · Replies 76 ·
3
Replies
76
Views
7K
Why do so many people hate science?
  • · Replies 28 ·
Replies
28
Views
12K
Question about observation and the sense theory
  • · Replies 16 ·
Replies
16
Views
2K
How to study physics? (Question for students and instructors)
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
5K
High School Balancing theories and empirical data, especially concerning string theory
  • · Replies 47 ·
2
Replies
47
Views
9K
News Post-Scientific Technocratic Methodologies
  • · Replies 12 ·
Replies
12
Views
3K
Why no Personal theory forum?
  • · Replies 15 ·
Replies
15
Views
2K