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Taka

#122206 Thu, 28 Jul 05 08:16 PM

The nature of scientific reserch requires the discovery of something that is new in itself. If it were possible to prescribe what answers scientific problems should have, they would not be genuine, for the essence of the matter would be in advance.

What does 'they' refer to? '(The) answers', or 'scientific problems'?

I think it's the latter, 'scientific problems', but I'm not sure on this one.

Taka

Joined on Tue, Sep 7 2004

Japan

Senior Member (2,351)

davkett

#122226 Thu, 28 Jul 05 09:59 PM

This is quite a curious situation to me, Taka, and I think you have a good case for confusion.

I immediately thought 'they' referred to 'answers'. But on closer inspection of the logic, I thought this:

According to the quoted sentence--

The essence of scientific research is discovery. A genuine scientific problem is one where the answer is unknown. If the answer is prescribed (given), it is considered known. What doesn't seem to come into play here is whether that answer is true or false. (That would be the function of 'scientific proof', not scientific research'.) What's not genuine, when the answer is prescribed is the scientific problem devised to discover that answer. Ths scientific problem cannot be a genuine one if the answer to it is already known.

So I now say, 'they' refers to 'scientific problems'.

If I were proofreading the quoted statement, I believe I'd have to comment on 'they' as having an indefinite antecedent.

What will other readers say?

davkett

Joined on Tue, Jun 7 2005

Pennsylvania, USA

Senior Member (2,788)

"The rose stays fresh in its name..." -Bernard of Morlay

Proofreading

MrPedantic

#122249 Thu, 28 Jul 05 11:49 PM

Yes; I'd say it meant:

The nature of scientific research requires the discovery of something that is new in itself. If it were possible to prescribe what answers scientific problems should have, they would not be genuine problems, for the essence of the matter would be in advance.

(If I were proofreading it, I'd query the truth of the first sentence, and the sense of the last clause!)

MrP

MrPedantic

Joined on Tue, Oct 12 2004

Veteran Member (12,168)

...opella forensis / adducit febris...

Clauses, Proofreading

K.O.

#122284 Fri, 29 Jul 05 03:45 AM

hi,

There is something very strange in the concept that prescribing an answer to some scientific problem makes it false since sooner or later it has to be prescribed, or maybe it suggests that prescribing answers of scientific problems all at once without any research has nothing to do with science. (by the way hello Mr.davkett) Could it be the phrase'scientific research' that is really there to play? yes, with the last sentence it is trying to relate back to the first one, or not?

thanks.

K.O.

Joined on Fri, Jun 3 2005

Turkey

Full Member (180)

.O.

davkett

#122286 Fri, 29 Jul 05 04:29 AM

Hi K.O.

Let me try it this way:

Scientific research seeks answers to scientific problems (questions). The answer does not precede the question.

Scientific proof (scientific method) involves testing a hypothesis, (which might be considered as a kind of prescribed answer--though a tentative one) . The hypothesis (answer) might be true or false. What makes it true or false is not that it's prescribed, but that the scientific method proves it to be one or the other.

As I see it, what's really considered false (not genuine) in the original quotation is not prescribed answers, but scientific problems that start with answers.

As MrP writes: If it were possible to prescribe what answers scientific problems should have, they would not be genuine problems [my emphasis].

(Does this help?)

davkett