Paging Jim Bell

[Peter Fairbrother]

On 29/09/2021 20:11, jim bell wrote:
> Okay, I just saw this.  I will give a much more detailed answer, 
> probably later today.
> 
> Keep in mind that while I try to be conversant in many scientific 
> fields, biology is probably my least-educated field.   But yes, I heard 
> of Kary Mullis a few decades ago.

Newton believed in astrology. So did Mullis.

Mullis was good at chemistry and early biochemistry. He wasn't good at 
any other kind of science.


The only research or other work Mullis did in AIDS was to develop a test 
for the HIV virus ..(which he supposedly didn't believe in).

Also, he later changed his position to saying publicly that retroviruses 
cause AIDS.


In science we revere the science, not the scientist - or we should. 
Scientists are only human, they are fallible, they make mistakes, lie, 
aggrandise themselves.

Sadly we don't always follow that principle, but in general we do - that 
generality gives us the consensus view, which is usually right. That's 
the whole point of science - that it is right.


A couple of people I know are at the top in their fields, and they take 
excruciating care that what they say in their field is correct. I'm not 
a top cryptologist, but I take the same sort of care in my crypto work.

That doesn't mean we have to take care about what we say, or even be 
knowledgable, in other fields.

I would take their opinions about their work seriously, because I know 
they are both knowledgeable and careful about that. Doesn't mean I take 
their advice on child care or driving seriously.


I blame the media.


A "scientist" is usually only knowledgeable in a small field - they say 
it takes 10,000 hours to be good in one field, there are thousands of 
fields in science - the science generalist, who tries to know a bit 
about everything, can't spend 10,000 hours on learning about each and 
every one of them.

So when a "scientist" says dubious things about something which is not 
in his field, we should take no more notice of him than we would take of 
anyone else - he probably doesn't know what he is talking about.


I used to be a chemist, many years ago. I am still OK on some types of 
chemistry, but if you asked me eg a flavour chemistry question I 
wouldn't know the answer.

If you asked nicely I might look it up for you (one thing you learn is 
how to look things up, but then nowadays there is google), or for my own 
edification. I might even forget to mention that I had to look it up. 
However I wouldn't make things up.

But that's just me, other people do make things up. It is then hard and 
possibly career-limiting to admit you were wrong..


Peter Fairbrother

> 
>        Jim Bell
> 
>     On Wed, Sep 29, 2021 at 8:28 AM, Punk-BatSoup-Stasi 2.0
>     <punks at tfwno.gf> wrote:
> 
> 
>          Hey Jim, I was wondering what you think about the AIDS fraud,
>     denounced by Pretty High Scientific Authorities like Kary Mullis
>     (chemistry nobel prize winner inventor of PCR), and Peter Duesberg.
> 
>     http://duesberg.com/subject/africa2.html
>     <http://duesberg.com/subject/africa2.html>
> 
>          You are a self described 'libertarian' and yet I haven't seen
>     you say a word about the total corruption of the medical mafia, the
>     pharmaceutical mafia, the fact that they are close accomplices of
>     the government, and the fact that all of them in the last two years
>     have violated the individual rights of 1000s of millions of people
>     with total impunity.
> 
>          Even if you were an ignorant, cowardly, technofascist fucktard
>     who understand nothing of 'epidemics', you should realize that the
>     political aspect of the fascist flu farce doesn't add up? And then
>     you should learn the A of ABC of 'science'?
> 
>     http://duesberg.com/subject/africa2.html
>     <http://duesberg.com/subject/africa2.html>
> 
> 
> 
>