Quote:
Originally Posted by CRussel
Without getting political, one of the important points this book makes about science is the need to address what is, not what you expect/want it to be. The scientific method is about observing and addressing the results of your experiment, not about trying to twist the facts to fit a pre-conceived notion. I did NOT think it was about elite v. working class, though that certainly entered in to it, but much more about trying to shape the facts to fit the required result.
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Part of that (I think) seems to have been that they had preconceptions of how the Longitude problem would be solved. The Astronomers assumed that the method would involve using the stars (the celestial clock) and that it was impossible to construct a mechanical clock that was accurate enough for the job. Of course back then the technology didn't exist (prior to Harrison) to make such a clock. We still have the problem today of thinking that because something hasn't been done it probably can't be.