Wendell writes:

> Now, I am not a scientist, but in my studies of theology, we have to do
>  similar things if we are to do the job right.  One of the first principles
>  of hermeneutics is that to do a proper job of interpretation, one must be
>  aware of his/her preconceptions and not let them rule.  It also makes the
>  crow taste a little better if one is proven wrong! ;-)

Logic is logic, regardless of the field of inquiry, and it must be the
strictly observed, without prejudice or personal bias (with the obvious
exception of the O.J. Simpson trial).

In exactly the same vein as Wendell writes, about 10 to 20 years ago, there
was a general movement in a number of fields of science, but particularly so
the observational sciences, to allow the use of the first person in
scientific papers, as in: "I performed the following..." and "I came to the
conclusion that...".

I would never allow anyone over whom I had governance to ever write such a
sentence. The easiest person in the world to fool is yourself. What I told my
students then and what I tell the few I still deal with is that you
personally must never become entangled with your hypotheses. Instead, you
must learn to become your own most severe critic and you must be capable of
walking away from your hypotheses if it becomes clear that the evidence
proves them incorrect. Personifying the hypotheses, especially with yourself,
makes that process a thousand times more difficult than if they are only
regarded as ideas placed on the table for further discussion. Pride (of
ownership) truly is one of the seven deadly sins.

Wirt Atmar