nonhocapito wrote:
Allow me one last point, Simon, one that probably will disappoint you. Then as i said I'll take a short leave of absence: I see at play here a slight, mild, tiny tendency to ask for (or expect) consensus.
I argue clues that I think are not very strong, because I assume it can be helpful to the research, and for intellectual honesty. Of course I can be wrong with my observations and if I so, too bad for me. But I don't think it is ever wrong to express, with arguments, the opinion one has that a clue that "proves beyond any doubt etc etc" might not be such.
If those clues were offered with less certainty, maybe I wouldn't feel the need to test that certainty. But we all tend to pat our backs a lot, you know. We should be able to take counter-arguments with equal ease then.
Bottom line, questioning a clue or the other has nothing to do with one's general belief in the veracity of a story.
If one is to say "this picture, this detail does not prove fakery so clearly" it doesn't automatically mean that one considers the whole thing NOT to be fake. Personally I am always careful to state that i am only arguing a detail offered to me, not the whole story.
Do we care to be always right? We're not the pope after all.
Nonhocapito, you wrote:
"I see at play here a slight, mild, tiny tendency to ask for (or expect) consensus" ..."Do we care to be always right? We're not the pope after all."
No - and I was hoping you wouldn't bring up this angle of the debate again. In fact, I was tempted to add in my last post something to this effect -
' Let it be clear that I am not suggesting we should all pat ourselves on the backs' - but ultimately left it out, deeming such a disclaimer unnecessary. I realize now it wasn't and yes, I'm a little bit disappointed that this is how you interpreted my thoughts; but not to worry, I will just try a little harder to express my views in simpler words. Let me use my last tsunami analysis ("SUN DOES NOT LIE") to this end:
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The pitch black water spray (see above post): I personally see it as patently absurd - and makes that video rationally undefendable as authentic. The only possible explanation I can think of is that it's the unfortunate consequence of an asinine 'artistic licence' conceded to its creator. I have no better explanation at the moment. Now, and here is what I'm getting at: if someone should offer that "the water spray was blackened by some TV producer for more dramatic effect" - "or the spray was blackened due to video compression" - I would still say that's absurd. Or if someone offers that "Japanese seawater is really really very black" - I would still say that's absurd. I believe this doesn't make me dogmatic, stubborn or pope-like. I am only looking for a plausible, credible explanation.
See, I really hope we can put aside this recurring, slightly irksome insinuations that any given researcher implicitely demands to be dead right on the money whenever he/she shares any material of relevance. To be sure, questioning & peer-reviewing every research contribution is of course essential to sound empirical/scientific research. But as you rightly mention 'intellectual honesty' -something that must grace all of our discussions - I do find it frustrating at times (as Uranus pointed out) when relevant issues are simply ignored and left untackled by the little team that we are. We should get better (myself included) at responding to/and assessing each other's contributions. As a case in point, I will reiterate this question - and please note that it is only a question - which I humbly submitted a few pages ago on page 6 of this thread:
simonshack wrote:
Ok - so I'm no tsunami expert. I am posting this for real tsunami experts to explain to us what we are seeing here. Anyone?
I just happened to see this clip on Italian TV last night - but they showed only about 5 seconds of this spectacular footage...Why?
Of course, non-tsunami experts are also welcome to submit their take on this issue. The question being: is it plausible that - in the real world - the entire water-level raises by the visible amount in only 3.5 seconds? Even the Pope himself is welcome to answer this question.
