Page Four Softball Intramurals SCIENCE IS A A few months ago a book which should be of interest to all college people was published. This book pokes a bit of tongue-in-cheek fun at all scientists and science in 'general, and it tears each major field of sci ence down separately. We feel that a reading of this sort would be a re freshing change from the dogmatic teachings of these same sciences, and that it might also provide some real food for thought and tempering of the acceptance of "scientifically proven" facts. The name of this bit of lit is "Sci ence Is a Sacred Cow" and it was written by Anthony Standen, a grad uate of Oxford and M. I. T. Who is better equipped to criticize scientists but another scientist? Generally Mr. Standen exposes the "scientific method" as only the pa tient use of horse sense. Every stu dent has heard expounded the value of "correlations," one of the re searcher's favorite words. When a scientist measures two things and finds that when one of them changes, the other does also, he has a high cor relation. Often, then, he argues that one thing caused the other. That line of reasoning runs something like: a man gets drunk on Monday on rye and soda water; he gets drunk on Tuesday on gin and soda water; on Wednesday he gets drunk on Scotch and soda water. What caused his drunken condition? Obviously the common factor—the soda water. The author becomes specific in pointing out to his fellow workers the major discrepancies in each one's field. Physics This oldest and most respected sci ence has its own limitations. Physics is extraordinarily indirect. There are catches in it right from the start. Example: Aristotle said the heavier of two weights would fall faster; but Galileo, by dropping two different weights from the leaning tower of Pisa, "proved" that Aristotle was wrong, for the weights were found to fall in exactly the same time. Yet Ar istotle was right. Air resistance held back the lighter weight •more than it did the heavier. The difference was very slight and not detectable; but since scientists use words with such great precision, we must hold them to it. If you press the point, they will readily admit that what is meant is that the two bodies will fall equally fast in a vacuum. If you press further they will reluctantly admit that no body has ever produced a complete vacuum. It turns out in the end, that Aris totle, not the physicist, is talking about the actual world in which we Biology Standen then asks, "Does Biology have the virtues of science?" He says that is questionable. Very little •can be found in a course in Biology that HAZLETON COLLEGIAN SACRED COW can be called scientific. To illustrate The fundamental stuff of all living matter is called protoplasm—all liv ing matter is organized into cells (ex cept slime molds) the lowest ani mals have only one cell—the body of any higher animal, including man, shows many resemblances to that of a cat anabolism and catabolism stimulus and response—thallophytes, bryophytes, pteridophytes, spermato phytes—and so on and on until the end of the course; and where in the name of heaven is there anything scientific in that? You can get full marks in the course without encoun tering any train of reasoning. The Theory of Eivolution is a theo ry that has by no means been tested by experiment. Biologists have been breeding banana flies for forty years; they have produced many wierd flies. But they have never succeeded in ev oluting this fly into one of a different species, much less into any more dis tant creature. Just the same scientists have been saying, "Scientists always test their theories by experiment," so often that by sheer dint of repetition it has come to be believed by every body else, and even by the scientists themselves. Psychology Psychologists are the unhappiest crowd of all. They like to believe that they base their conclusions on fact substantiated by scientific evidence but they don't Two of their favorite postulates are "All human behavior has a cause" and "Potentially all ha man behavior can be measured and described." There is no experimental proof of these interpretations. Some human behavior may have a cause, and some can be measured and de scribed, but these sweeping state ments about all human behavior are nothing but a pious hope. Psycholo gists pay lip service to the scientific method, and use it whenever it is convenient. But when it doesn't suffice they make wild leaps into cloudy theory, sped only by their jet-propelled fan cy. There is little agreement in psy chology either; there are many points about which it is only possible to say: "Freud and his followers see it this way, the Alderians see it some other way, while the Watsonian be havorists don't see it at all. It is probable that in the future people will regard present-day psychologists in the same way which we look back at the medieval schoolmen who de bated how many angels could dance on the head of a pin. The Social Sciences There is a group of extremely busy people who are zealously writing such papers as "Sample of 1001 Remarks Overheard in Manhattan." These peo ple call themselves social scientists. There are plenty of reasons why the Social Sciences aren't sciences at all; there are even some of these people who will admit this. One of the Top Sports Activity Wreckers and Wheels Dominate First Half Play The chief topic of conversation and interest in school activities this spring season is the competition be tween student teams in the intramu ral softball league. There is really a lot of spirit and enthusiasm gener ated by these games, and it is carry ing over in all phases of school life. The Wreckers figure to be a top team in the circuit due largely to the fact that Zack Taylor began rounding up talent early in the season and gar nered himself a bunch of very good boys. The Wheels pulled a mild upset over the Dormers and have been strong since. These Dormers figure to give plen ty of trouble to all corners with big George Woods blazing in his under hand slants. The Northsiders have a lot of that Freeland spirit which al ways, means a fight; Jack Sipple's Mountaineers are another club with the will to win. The Collegians figure to surprise the experts with some hus tle and sharpening. A seventh team, the Deadenders, was admitted in the second week of play. They got off to a slow start but experience may bring improvement. We will not attempt to give won lost records now for they are con stantly changing and will be posted on a chart which Syd is now prepar ing. This will show a day-to-day rec ord of league action. Girls Team, Too The Women's Organization has formed a girls' softball team and ex pect to compete with the boys' teams, other girls' teams and perhaps a fac ulty team in a game similar to the basketball nightmare. The girls have some real stars in their ranks and al though they haven't played any games against outside competition, they figure to give any opponent no tice that they are playing softball. Miss Wood, coach, warns, "Don't un derestimate us!" biggest reasons is that there isn't anything fixed or constant about what the sociologist studies. Thus Dr. Kinsey's celebrated report is mistitled "Sexual Behavior in the Human Male;' it should be "The Sexual Be havior of 5,300 Men Who Were Will ing to Talk About It." In the same light, the sociologist calls his investigations, "The testing of a hypothesis." He will frame the hypothesis that there is a positive correlation between income and Re publicans and then he goes out and "tests" this theory. If a biologist wishes to know how many toes a cat has he simply gets a cat and counts. A social scientist prefers the more long winded expression every time because it gives an entirely spurious impression of science to what he is doing. These exerpts are a representative sample of the author's message. We have quoted liberally from Mr. Stan den and Life Magazine's review of his book—" Science Is a Sacred Cow." HUC Students Will Compete In Tourney Mr. Syd Rudman announced that a series of competitions in tennis, golf, lacrosse, and soccer will take place at the cr—pus on the week-end of May 19 and 20. The azleton Center will be repre sented in at least two of these catego ries o.' competition. The competition will be among the campus teams, teams from the various centers, and other colleges. If you are interested in these matches as a spectator or participant contact Syd as soon as possible. Table Tennis Elimination The elimination to determine HUC's best ping-pong paddler will begin soon. All games will be played on the second floor of Memorial Dorm at the convenience of the con testants. The regular play will be conducted on a best out of three ba sis. The finals will be a best out of five arrangement. A chart of entrants and their progress is posted on the stairway bulletin board in Old Main. May the best ping-ponger prevail! BURT WRITES... Nice People By BURT MINKIN PSC, US ARMY I spent ten wonderful months in the state of Pennsylvania, in the city of Hazleton with the nicest people in the world. I wish that every student in the country could be in Pennsylva nia because I am sure that each stu dent and each graduate would be a happier person. You students at HUC are especially fortunate; for besides having a beautiful school you also have a good, young teaching staff— young enough to realize the needs of young people, because they them selves are not too long out of school. And with wonderful fellows head ing the administration, studying, schooling, and playing should be an easy task because of their closeness to each student. Right now I'm a stu dent of Uncle Sam in the state of Texas but if and when I do go back to school it will be back to "Dear Old State." FINE PAINTINGS WILL BE HERE The Hazleton Art League is spon soring an exhibit of Modern Ameri can Painting from the Corcoran Gal leries in Washington, D. C. This ex hibition will be free and open to all interested people from May 10 until May 30 at the Masonic Temple. Mr. Carpenter tells us that this is a rare and valuable opportunity to see original works of famous Ameri can painters. May 12, 1950
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