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From: scampi@dial.pipex.com (Mathew Hendry)
Subject: Re: Software Engineering and Dreamers
Date: 1997/06/08
Message-ID: <19970608.4D18C0.33E0@ao057.du.pipex.com>#1/1
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Date: 1997-06-08T00:00:00+00:00
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In comp.lang.c Robert Dewar <dewar@merv.cs.nyu.edu> wrote:
: Mat said

: <<Since the above theories make the same predictions, no experimental test can
: distinguish between them. And yet no right-minded scientist would believe my
: crocodile theory. Why not?
: >>

: We have not seen your crocodile theory, so guesses as to whether or not it
: might be accepted are silly.

Okay, here it is again. There are some crocodiles. They know everything about
current theories of dynamics. They move objects around accordingly.

:                              Note that in using the word crocodile, you are
: appealing to an informal notion of reality which might or might not be
: helpful.

My terminology is irrelevant. I have provided the predictions, which you seem
to think are all that can be _required_ from a theory.

:            Perhaps it would be better to call it your crocjunk theory to
: avoid unnecessary associations (though sometimes these associations are
: useful).

Again, irrelevant. But please, give the theory the name which you think will
help your argument the most.

: We choose between theories on the basis of predictive power, and if we have
: two competing theories then we choose the simpler one in Occam's sense.

Then you agree with me. Prediction alone is not enough.

-- Mat.