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"I'm a scientist. When I find evidence that my theories are wrong, it is as exciting as if they were correct. Scientific advance in either direction is still an advance." -- Stargate: SG-1

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@freemo

So in Jan 6th we can assume the hypothesis defining the attackers as Liberals impersonating trumpists is a false statement? :awesome:

@pthenq1 I never claimed on Jan 6th they were liberals impersonating trumpers, and I never heard that conspiracy theory. As far as I know there is no evidence of that.

@freemo

When you hear something, always consider the source...

But even if the source is just fiction, the statement may still be true. You just can't make an assessment based solely on that fictional source.

@Pat This is true. But it only works if you understand and accept there is a state between "I believe this to be true" and "I believe this to be false".. one that equates to "I do not have the evidence to make an assertion about this". It is also important to recognize the vast majority of things that fall in this middle ground are, in reality, false, but you just cant figure out which things they are. So if you must assume true/false then false is your statistically safest assumption to act on.

@freemo

>"It is also important to recognize the vast majority of things that fall in this middle ground are, in reality, false..."

Not sure if that's true of not, so I guess it's probably true.

(If your statement is true, then things I'm uncertain of are most likely false. Therefore, your statement should be considered false, and therefore, if uncertain facts are not most-likely false, then they either have an equal probability of true/false, or they are most-likely true, in which case the probablity woud be that they are true -- assuming equal probability of those last two suppositions. So therefore, your statement is most probably true.)

I'm sure all of this is thoroughly covered in "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" (a work of fiction).

@Pat Its not that things you are uncertain of are false. Its that things that dont have sources are most likely to be false.

Consider 1) things that tend to gain momentum and travel as ideas are things that are exceptional and extrodinary in some way, shock value sells.. 2) things that are exceptional are the most likely to have attention and therefore if someone could validate it they likely would.

So a lack of sources to validate something usually suggests of all the people who heard the idea no one was ever able to prove it, and the more people try to prove something and fail the more likely it isnt true.

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