Public discourse in origins: here be dragons

[Mercer (John Mercer)]

@BrianLopez

This is splitting hairs: splitting hairs means making careful distinctions…

“Splitting hairs,” to native English speakers, means making unnecessary and unwarranted distinctions. It is a term typically used to express contempt.

@BrianLopez

…and unpacking technical details which is exactly what you are doing here.

No, I’m not doing any details.

I’m pointing out very broad differences in reasoning that help laypeople to distinguish between real science and pseudoscience by asking a straightforward question: is it evidence-based or rhetoric-based?

@BrianLopez

Once again, I had the humanities in mind, too, not only only what you are specifically referencing.

Hypothesis testing is done in the humanities too:

Do PS Members Believe in Scientism?

I probably should further clarify my statement: the most competent Biblical scholars use methodologies which share much in common with the scientific method. I am always the first to admit that there have been far too many Biblical scholars who should have used far more of the data available to them. Some should also hold their conclusions less tightly and approach their own hypothesis with appropriate skepticism, proactively looking for evidence which may question, undermine, and/or modify their hypotheses.