- Joined
- Sep 9, 2003
- Messages
- 2,361
I agree wholeheartedly that the major factor in bladesmith's going astray in their information is in the misinterpretation of the facts. This can also happen in labs around the world if the folks harvesting the data dont stay completely objective and not let what they want the results to be influence them in any way. And of course this is impossible if the building of their facts is for the sole purpose of inflating their product or the process.
For this reason isolated facts can be worse than useless in trying to be a better bladesmith. In a martial arts school one of the most pathetic things one encounters are young guys who sign up in order to learn a few moves and kicks and then quit with only a white or yellow belt. All their lives they have been sold a line that the martial arts are a handful of secret moves that will allow you to be invincible. When in reality it is no different that any other discipline wherein the day in and day out total immersion in the practice eventually makes a total package that is trained to do this thing. White or yellow belt levels give you a couple of simple tools to practice with, perhaps when you have reached black belt level you will finally have the experience and skill to put them into proper use proficiently. Attempting to practice the art with only those few isolated moves will mostly likely only get you hurt, perhaps quite badly.
But many bladesmiths have a unique tendency not to work with even isolated facts but instead simply make up the facts as they go along, or try turn their wishful world views into reality and then their main task is to convince or delude as many others that their new reality is legitimate. Often in this effort we encounter anti-science statements about how science can lead us astray or that it is just another religious type of view point with not greater ability to see fact than any other belief system. This, of course is hogwash and the people who imply it reveal their medieval mindset and a total lack of knowledge of the history of how we got out of the medieval period. Science is not just another religion or belief system, there is no room for belief in science since it was developed to overcome the superstitious beliefs and relativistic philosophies of the middle ages. However today scary things are happening in science when belief is being injected back into it, creating much of the junk science that mete is fond of pointing out. I am not anti-religion, I am a practicing Catholic, but there was a time that my church would have had me well done on a stake by sunset for saying what I am now saying. We advanced beyond that when we realized that there are questions that science can answer and questions that religion can answer, and when one tries to do the job of the other civilization takes a step backwards. Contrary to first impressions much of religion is relativistic, while science is almost binary code in its right and wrong. There are no shoulds or shalls in science, instead there are only facts that simply are.
So while a handful of isolated facts can be useless when viewed in a vacuum, I will certainly take a handful of isolated facts over some jokers wild-assed assumptions and made up reality any day in determining my course of action. There are no plans now for a follow up article that will tell how to use those facts since that gets into messing with peoples world views and since true believers will only spitefully discard anything that doesnt support their methods, I would be only preaching to the choir. Instead I prefer to scatter isolated facts likes seeds on the ground in such numbers that eventually the crop that grows will overtake the weeds and cover the landscape. And when the field is established with the proper plantings, all the B.S. that the jokers want to spread on it will only help fertilize the crop and cause it to grow faster. Indeed I have learned more metallurgy from the characters spouting whacky assumptions as fact, than any of the conversations I have ever had with metallurgists, since that nonsense put the fire in my belly to ask questions and really study. But the crop needs to be planted first or all that B.S. will only grow more weeds!
). And did you know that the Navy uses it for some of it newer weapons systems (of course these days if the U.S. military is dabbling with it, it must be thoroughly EVIL!). This example is the best illustration on how ANYTHING can be made to look bad when enough P.R. spin is put on it.
