tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1527613590529958801.post862809630752103634..comments2024-03-21T19:08:05.737-07:00Comments on Genealogy's Star: Even More About Proof, Evidence and TruthJames Tannerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989059644120454647noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1527613590529958801.post-77106624642462651622013-07-27T13:30:29.979-07:002013-07-27T13:30:29.979-07:00Talking of collaborative platforms Adrian, I have ...Talking of collaborative platforms Adrian, I have a detailed design for a simple but novel one that I'm thinking of passing to a commercial organisation (for free). I would like to have invested effort into it myself but I have too many irons in the fire these days. I'm still thinking of who to approach, and how, in order to prevent it being simply junked.Tony Proctorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18330460400737261264noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1527613590529958801.post-62759313230231396132013-07-26T22:29:26.694-07:002013-07-26T22:29:26.694-07:00James:
I believe you have used the word "theo...James:<br />I believe you have used the word "theory" as non-scientists would: indicating unfounded or unproven supposition. Theory (as I understand it) in science actually means a view of how the world works that helps explain the phenomena one is studying. Hypotheses are cause and effect statements logically derived from theories. They enable scientists to test theoretical constructs.<br /><br />Thus far, there are no "theories" posited or used in genealogy nor are there any hypotheses that have been derived from theories. That could be one of the reasons genealogists generally get little respect in academia.Emily Garberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04728999439188446783noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1527613590529958801.post-85163821490898005192013-07-26T18:13:45.249-07:002013-07-26T18:13:45.249-07:00If FamilySearch Family Tree rises to its potential...If FamilySearch Family Tree rises to its potential, it can act as a clearing house or collaborative platform. But right now, it is bogged down in resolving the shared data issues with New.FamilySearch.org. James Tannerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02989059644120454647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1527613590529958801.post-37607187917337483782013-07-26T18:11:41.232-07:002013-07-26T18:11:41.232-07:00I began a series of blog posts some time ago and g...I began a series of blog posts some time ago and got little or no response to the idea of establishing a common metadata for genealogy. I still think this is a good idea. In a sense the proponents of GEDCOM X and the Family History Standards Organization (FHISO) are both grappling with same idea in a different format. I think the metadata should extend to rating the level of genealogical proof achieved in any evidence statement. James Tannerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02989059644120454647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1527613590529958801.post-21645687297449758522013-07-26T13:33:07.989-07:002013-07-26T13:33:07.989-07:00While I agree with much of what you say, I am unsu...While I agree with much of what you say, I am unsure what you believe the long-term implications are. <br /><br />Does the lack of a mechanism like those in the physical sciences matter? Yes - because right now, "a widely related and repeated story, no matter how baseless, will never be corrected in genealogy". Should we therefore give up and go home? Certainly not - if you believed that, you wouldn't be teaching and helping in the library and I wouldn't be typing this.<br /><br />It seems to me that one critical aspect is the sheer lack of numbers. Do I really mean there are few genealogists? Yes - there are hundreds, if not thousands, of physicists involved in looking for the Higgs Boson. How many genealogists are looking for my 4G GF James Bruce (abt1754-1819) of Dundee? Based on my contacts, I reckon there have been four people doing original research into him - and two of those are dead. Certainly, I've been in contact with others of his descendants, so there are other potential researchers out there, but I've told them of my struggles to get beyond him and suspect that, as none of the others carry the surname Bruce, they've (sensibly) prioritised other lines. Of course, there could be others - I just don't know.<br /><br />It seems therefore that a genuinely collaborative platform allowing us to contribute and compare our work is the only way to take that first step towards real discussions rather than edit wars. So far I don't see anyone doing this.<br /><br /><br />Adrian Brucenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1527613590529958801.post-8400798620230487842013-07-25T13:18:50.289-07:002013-07-25T13:18:50.289-07:00Interesting thoughts James. However, a theory in p...Interesting thoughts James. However, a theory in physics doesn't become more or less true simply as a result of peer reviews in journals. They may help with faulty logic, calculation errors, or failure to handle existing evidence. However, it's experimental evidence alone that should have the final say. If a theory contradicts the evidence then it is either faulty or totally wrong. In the case where multiple theories can explain the available evidence then they may be mathematically equivalent (like wave functions and sum-over-histories in quantum theory) or fundamentally different. In the former case, the more "elegant" tends to persist. In the latter case, the theories are asked to make predictions which the experimental physicists can then test.<br /><br />As I know you're about to say (smiling here), there is a strong genealogical parallel to all of this. What I would add, though, is that physics is not always the ideal it should be. Sometimes, a theory is rejected purely because the person is not "accredited" to the right level, or is so far out on a limb that the mainstream folks are deriding of it. There are historical cases of this, and some are very embarrassing. It's therefore all more surprising and welcoming that Albert Einstein, a patent clerk, was able to submit his Special Theory of Relativity as he did.<br /><br />As my father used to say when I was young, no one is guarenteed to be right simply because of the letters after his name, or the uniform he happens to wear.<br /><br />P.S. Where's this suggestion of a genealogical metadata? It sounds very interesting.Tony Proctorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18330460400737261264noreply@blogger.com