senexa

Amen to that! I quite agree with you that a mistake has been made here in the restrictive nature of this particular forum. But then, the same mistake has been made throughout the history of scientific thought as those whose careers are deeply embedded in existing theories fight against new ideas, i.e., Einstein, Darwin and Galileo. The sad thing is that open discussion on even the wilder ideas could lead everyone to a new understanding and even possibly to exciting discoveries.

Pseudoscience is by definition "an unscientific or trivially scientific theory... that appears to be presented as scientific" according to the American Heritage Dictionary. It is a derogatory term, designed to minimize or belittle the comments of people as not measuring up to a purely scientific standard. This is vastly different from pondering and/or exploring the boundaries of existing knowledge in an intellectual discourse. Although I agree that research should be performed and any results presented, there are times when the pure thought should excite some interest in pursuing the subject further. Every single scientific discovery came from someone looking at a thing from a different perspective, and most were laughed at initially. That is what a theory is, a thought process taken to a logical conclusion and then proven repeatedly. A theory is not a fact. I see no problem with someone throwing out a theory for others to disprove or refute; it is how we all learn. Morphology is a great example. When Sheldrake proposed the morphic field in the 70s, he offered a prize for its refutation in the classical manner.

Perhaps a new topic could be introduced. It could be called Ponderables, for those of us who like to nibble at the edges of the unknown and share those thoughts with others. Then the discipline-bound scientists would not be offended and would not even have to open the threads; and the rest of us could exchange wild ideas, new theories, estoteric propositions and questions regarding the boundary fields of known science without being labeled as lesser beings.

Hello, I'm a grey-haired grandmother who is fascinated by all areas of science, and too old to have had college as an option. Therefore, I am predominantly self-taught and will make glaringly stupid mistakes. I'm here to learn, ask questions, and pursue some of the avenues of thought that burn in my mind. I'm in the health care field, so anatomy and medicine always interest me, but I am fascinated by neurophysics, quantum anomalies, geology, geophysics, biology and philosophic discourse on just about anything. I just discovered this forum and reading the back threads has been SmartWater for a parched mind. Thank you one and all.