Steve Jackson Games Forums - View Single Post

Phil Masters · 10-28-2015, 12:10 PM

One could say that history is really about as "scientific" as evolutionary biology, and vice-versa. The scope for controlled experiments in either is somewhat limited, but one can attempt to observe the past, and to treat things that happened as accidental experiments.

Actually, similar remarks apply to astronomy, or planetary-scale geology - or various population-level social sciences. Experimental science, with rigorous applications of the scientific method, is very nice for them as can work it, but it's not the only game in town.

10-28-2015, 12:10 PM	#37
Phil Masters Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: U.K.	Re: [Basic] Skill of the week: History One could say that history is really about as "scientific" as evolutionary biology, and vice-versa. The scope for controlled experiments in either is somewhat limited, but one can attempt to observe the past, and to treat things that happened as accidental experiments. Actually, similar remarks apply to astronomy, or planetary-scale geology - or various population-level social sciences. Experimental science, with rigorous applications of the scientific method, is very nice for them as can work it, but it's not the only game in town. __________________ -- Phil Masters My Home Page. My Self-Publications: On Warehouse 23 and On DriveThruRPG.