ClimateGate, Global Warming and Provenance: Trident Workbench

Ok, blowhards like Rush Limbaugh keep stating that the actual science around Global Warming does not fit the “templates”.  I guess that Rush means media templates, because I doubt that the Limbaugh the Great understands the first thing about research templates or workflows.  Then again, most of the people who believe in Global Warming likely have not heard of scientific workflows either, and why would they?  For either of the general groups, the Limbaugh followers or the Global Warming group.

If we are going to take a look at how the Trident Workbench could be a part of clearing up the confusion about the “science” of Global Warming or Climategate, then we need to take a look at some the concepts of the “science” of science.  I assume that the concept of “science” of science is either that we turn science into a religion or the conversation has to be around what is the nature of science.  No wait a minute, nature of science is also a pretty silly statement, what I am looking for is the “Scientific Method”. 

With respect to the Scientific Method, I will start this series of blog entries in the sunny climes of Greece, on the northern frontier of the Greece civilization: Aristotle and the principle of syllogism which is the core of traditional deductive reasoning.  Aristotle thinking processes and views on science is now on course to become part of the Christian religion several hundred years in the future.  it will take Galileo to break down this view of Aristotle, and will confuse people till modern time about his role with respect to the church, but we will get to Galileo later in these blog entries.  The bottom line though: Aristotle philosophical thinking was eventually moved from a basis of logic to a throne of religion.  This trend is something that people who understand the scientific method must fight against and tools like the Trident Workbench can ensure doesn’t happen.  In the first time in history, the scientific method can be used by everyone who wants to check out the way decisions are made.

Back to Aristotle: Aristotle limited himself to categorical syllogisms, which is a very disciplined approach to deductive thinking, and worked well when the fastest communications moved at the speed of a person walking.  Today, we move much more quickly, have better dental health, and so forth.  In today’s world it would seem as if using pure deductive thinking is silly, and slow.  Perhaps, but for now let’s continue on this line of thought.

Aristotle set himself up for the conversion from the field of strict logic to a religion over the centuries that played out after his time, but in his time, his process of thinking worked against the religion of his region, which had many gods and interesting stories.  In Aristotle’s “On Interpretation”, he strictly defines terms, and isn’t it odd that these words from over 2300 years ago still ring true.

And keep in mind that Aristotle said that heavier objects fall faster than lighter objects, and he as well as civilization didn’t bother to check for centuries.  That is science becoming a religion. Sort of.

Well, I have exhausted the bandwidth for today.

Finally, now what does all of this have to do with the Trident workbench?  As we examine the history of the scientific method, I hope to make the case on the importance of the concept of the scientific workbench.  Keep in mind that the blogs on the Trident Workbench is to demonstrate the motivation behind the Workbench.

 

 

 

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