From owner-biophys@hgmp.mrc.ac.uk  Fri May 11 00:10:26 2001
Return-Path: <owner-biophys@hgmp.mrc.ac.uk>
Received: from localhost (localhost [127.0.0.1])
	by mercury.hgmp.mrc.ac.uk (Postfix) with ESMTP id 0B7BA17A9C
	for <biophys-outgoing>; Fri, 11 May 2001 00:10:26 +0100 (BST)
Received: from localhost (localhost [127.0.0.1])
	by mercury.hgmp.mrc.ac.uk (Postfix) with ESMTP id 63EA917AEB
	for <biophys-list@hgmp.mrc.ac.uk>; Fri, 11 May 2001 00:10:24 +0100 (BST)
Received: from niobium.hgmp.mrc.ac.uk (niobium [193.62.192.41])
	by mercury.hgmp.mrc.ac.uk (Postfix) with ESMTP id F3D1117A9C
	for <biophys-list@hgmp.mrc.ac.uk>; Fri, 11 May 2001 00:10:19 +0100 (BST)
Received: (from news@localhost)
	by niobium.hgmp.mrc.ac.uk (8.9.3+Sun/8.8.8) id AAA05265
	for biophys-list@hgmp.mrc.ac.uk; Fri, 11 May 2001 00:10:19 +0100 (BST)
X-Authentication-Warning: niobium.hgmp.mrc.ac.uk: news set sender to <news> using -f
From: Mr J R N Austin <mauyr@csv.warwick.ac.uk>
X-Newsgroups: alt.agnosticism,alt.astronomy,alt.atheism,alt.sci.natural.phenomena.unusual,alt.sci.physics,alt.talk.creationism,bionet.biophysics,harvard.course.physics11a.q-a,sci.bio.paleontology,sci.geo.geology,sci.physics,talk.atheism
Subject: Re: The "Science" of John Boatwright
Date: Fri, 11 May 2001 00:09:25 +0100
Organization: University of Warwick, UK
Lines: 31
Message-ID: <Pine.WNT.4.21.0105110007520.183-100000@WS-B208-10.csv.warwick.ac.uk>
References: <3aeaee9f.256439876@nntp.we.mediaone.net> <3AEB1D6A.29553686@mediaone.net> <3aeb6f46.289379532@nntp.we.mediaone.net> <3AEBB489.259646ED@mediaone.net> <3aebc22a.310602617@nntp.we.mediaone.net> <3AEC8259.B4695EC4@mediaone.net> <3af470b5.418626777@nntp.we.mediaone.net> <3AF4CF86.B60CC5F9@mediaone.net> <3af58e8e.63545428@nntp.we.mediaone.net> <3AF59F52.FC8E466E@mediaone.net> <3af7482f.176618772@nntp.we.mediaone.net> <3AFAEE10.8FC00DAE@durham.ac.uk> <3AFB188F.9C6AED91@mediaone.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
X-Complaints-To: news@csv.warwick.ac.uk
In-Reply-To: <3AFB188F.9C6AED91@mediaone.net>
X-X-Sender: mauyr@mail.csv.warwick.ac.uk
To: biophys@hgmp.mrc.ac.uk
Sender: owner-biophys@hgmp.mrc.ac.uk
Precedence: bulk



On Thu, 10 May 2001, George Hammond wrote:

> S.A.Baxter wrote:
> > 
> > Snipped babble about "amazing Theory"...
> > 
> > Its all well and good coming up with a theory, congratulations, but what
> > is the use of it if only 1 person understands it. Take an example. I go
> > down the pub, have 12 pints, and come up with a theory linking a lack of
> > jelly babies to the population problems in China. My drunken mates claim
> > to understand, but don't get the finer points, while only I understand
> > its true meaning. What's the point?!
> > No theory is worthwhile if it cannot be communicated to people in any
> > meaningful sense.
> > Bert
> 
> [Hammond]
> That's what they told Einstein.  Fact is, you still can't
> understand it 90 years later.... makes no difference either.

When did they tell Einstein that? Maybe they said `Einstein, get your
bloody hair cut,' but I can't see them telling him his theory was
silly. Except for when he got bogged down in that silly Unification
business.
No, I'm claiming that Einstein was competent enough to write his theories
in a way that somebody else could understand.

Jez.


.