Alternative Models and Destructive Biases:
written on Sunday, April 4, 2004.
A problem exists when there are alternative models, namely Alternative Medicines, but they are not acknowledged and/or, in some cases, not even studied or used. Such behavior is commonplace in Western culture signposting high levels of ethnocentrism as there are many factors of alternative models that are not often considered.
If one cognates long and deep enough than one would realize that each culture has its own form of science, or deductive methodologies, because science is a product of our brain physiology. Meaning, our brains are capable of logical reasoning and thus our actions and thinking will reflect that. And many patterns of behavior in the past have been governed by such methodologies.
This peice of information is not often considered and thus naive Westerners claim that there hasn't been any scientific experiments done on the validity of certain claims of Alternative Medicine.
Also, those who established and then practiced such models and methodologies had to come to such conclusions for a reason. It is the idea of evolution at play here; that which works better survives. The alternative models are as they are as a direct result of the evolution of culturally accepted medicinal practices and concepts over time. Evolution in this light can be seen as a universal guiding principle.
There is a reason for everything and the reasons for rejection of many alternative models can be easily isolated. First, people of now forget that peoples of the past were every bit as intelligent as people in the present. Our DNA has not undergone a major change for tens of thousands of years. Second, ignorance. Quite often those who are most skeptical know the least about that which they are criticizing -- they neither share the level of knowledge nor have they had the same hands-on experience. Whereas those who are the staunchest believers are those who either specialize in the field and experience 'it' hands-on, or those who have been on the recieving end of 'it' and the results were undeniable.
Not only ignorant and naive, those who dismiss alternative models are also complete hypocrites. Modern scientific methodologies dictate that a theory is only as good as the process taken to come to the accepted conclusion and that the process should be able to be replicated for independent verification. The obvious problem being that those who dismiss alternative models forego all the requisite steps needed to come to a sound conclusion, rather they only adhere to a conclusion which has no sound reasoning from the perspective of a true scientist -- such a characteristic is also known as being close-minded.
They are culturally bound and view other cultures relative to their own -- they are ethnocentric.
Whereas, if Western culture was bound only by the principles of science, all alternative models would have been unbiasly tested and implemented if usable. Sometimes, unbiased testing is merely empirical data produced from controlled experiments that shows positive outcomes from alternative practices.
Ultimately, however, the implications are utterly astonishing. If and only if people practicing science are willing to be open-minded, holistic, and fully deductive (instead of limited by physicalist or cultural biases) than the results would yield a medical model more profound and illustrious than any other medical model ever recorded in the history of human kind. The key is unification of all theories. The key is using what works because it works and to worry about how it works later.
A problem exists when there are alternative models, namely Alternative Medicines, but they are not acknowledged and/or, in some cases, not even studied or used. Such behavior is commonplace in Western culture signposting high levels of ethnocentrism as there are many factors of alternative models that are not often considered.
If one cognates long and deep enough than one would realize that each culture has its own form of science, or deductive methodologies, because science is a product of our brain physiology. Meaning, our brains are capable of logical reasoning and thus our actions and thinking will reflect that. And many patterns of behavior in the past have been governed by such methodologies.
This peice of information is not often considered and thus naive Westerners claim that there hasn't been any scientific experiments done on the validity of certain claims of Alternative Medicine.
Also, those who established and then practiced such models and methodologies had to come to such conclusions for a reason. It is the idea of evolution at play here; that which works better survives. The alternative models are as they are as a direct result of the evolution of culturally accepted medicinal practices and concepts over time. Evolution in this light can be seen as a universal guiding principle.
There is a reason for everything and the reasons for rejection of many alternative models can be easily isolated. First, people of now forget that peoples of the past were every bit as intelligent as people in the present. Our DNA has not undergone a major change for tens of thousands of years. Second, ignorance. Quite often those who are most skeptical know the least about that which they are criticizing -- they neither share the level of knowledge nor have they had the same hands-on experience. Whereas those who are the staunchest believers are those who either specialize in the field and experience 'it' hands-on, or those who have been on the recieving end of 'it' and the results were undeniable.
Not only ignorant and naive, those who dismiss alternative models are also complete hypocrites. Modern scientific methodologies dictate that a theory is only as good as the process taken to come to the accepted conclusion and that the process should be able to be replicated for independent verification. The obvious problem being that those who dismiss alternative models forego all the requisite steps needed to come to a sound conclusion, rather they only adhere to a conclusion which has no sound reasoning from the perspective of a true scientist -- such a characteristic is also known as being close-minded.
They are culturally bound and view other cultures relative to their own -- they are ethnocentric.
Whereas, if Western culture was bound only by the principles of science, all alternative models would have been unbiasly tested and implemented if usable. Sometimes, unbiased testing is merely empirical data produced from controlled experiments that shows positive outcomes from alternative practices.
Ultimately, however, the implications are utterly astonishing. If and only if people practicing science are willing to be open-minded, holistic, and fully deductive (instead of limited by physicalist or cultural biases) than the results would yield a medical model more profound and illustrious than any other medical model ever recorded in the history of human kind. The key is unification of all theories. The key is using what works because it works and to worry about how it works later.
©2004 Michael Haydon, All rights reserved.
Contact Michael at mpfer_dynasty@yahoo.com
Contact Michael at mpfer_dynasty@yahoo.com