Re: "Primary literature"

Thomas L Moore (mooret@GAS.UUG.Arizona.EDU)
Thu, 18 Apr 1996 20:13:29 -0700 (MST)

On Thu, 18 Apr 1996, Chuck Warman wrote:

> Thomas L Moore wrote:
>
> ____________SNIP__________________
>
> They think the ideas are important enough to share, but they also realize
> they can't explain the complex issues at the level required to understand
> the ideas fully. These simplified interpretations of "technical junk"
> are secondary sources and must be treated as such. Since they are dumbed
> down, attempting to debunk the science at that level can be an incredibly
> stupid thing to do. You could elaborate on the orginal ideas to then
> debunk them, but you need to go to the primary sources.
>
> _______________SNIP_______________________
>
> This is *precisely* the attitude I was trying to describe earlier. Thank you, Thomas.
>
> Regards,
>
> Chuck

You mean for pointing out how lazy the critics of science can be? Get
off your duff instead of whining and make an effort to learn something.
So, as far as I'm concerned, if you have a problem with making the effort
to genuinely research an issue, you're not really interested in
understanding the issue. If you feel that you can't handle the primary
literature, go off in a corner and cry all you want. If you can't handle
the primary literature, either you're lazy, stupid, or not interested in
researching an issue. There are plenty, I mean PLENTY of novices that
are willing to get off their lazy duff and learn enough on their own to
handle the primary literature. If you want to publish something, you
darn well better look at the primary literature or you'll look like a
know-nothing novice out to yell and scream and who will end up crying
later when no one in science listens to them.

In short, the tools are there for you. If you can't handle the primary
literature, that is your problem because you're one of the three choices
I gave above. Which are you? Are you lazy, stupid, or not really
interested in persuing the topics? It's a lot of work to look into the
primary literature, granted, and popular works are a good starting
point. But that is all they are.

Stop your whining, get out there and do the work needed if you really
want to learn.

Tom