Heathrow Crash Landing. The Case for being Gullible

I bet Captain Peter Burkill, the hero of the recent Heathrow crash landing has become a founder member of the Naive Inductivist Society.

Being Gullible is a key criticism of so called 'naive inductivists These are people that believe that if something has happened many times in the past it will always do so in future.

The argument runs that faith in the Law of Aerodynamics is misplaced as just because a plane stayed in the air every time in the past, there is no guarantee that it will in future.

The apparent 'folly' of this line of reasoning was demonstrated by Bertrand Russel who told the tale of the Xmas turkey who felt safe in the knowledge of being fed every morning from January, such that every day in future he would be fed as usual...that was until Xmas morning!

Lucky for Captain Burkill that the Law of Aerodynamics continued to operate as normal...unlike his engines!

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I'm 'chuffed to bits' that my musings have struck an appealling chord with some readers enough to warrant the awards shown here. Here are some of my favourite authors too...(blauthors!!!!???)




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I'm Back

Well, I never actually told anyone I was going anywhere, so it seems a bit daft to announce my return.

Anyhow the Xmas break is over now and I've got my ears off my new i-pod...what a neat bit of kit. I reckon my Inside Track blog is going to suffer as I become a poacher turned game keeper.

And is there anything 'gullible-worthy' in the news today - YOU BET...the British Army has recieved a ticking off for 'gulling' new recruits with 'less than fully rounded claims' about what is involved when you join up...take a look at this Ex Soldier Calls for HONEST recruitment

I remember The Big Yin singing about the army being all 'Sunshine and Skis' in one of his satirical songs.

In a classic observation, the investigatory body explains that the Army isn't able to deliver on it's promise of 'giving you a great time', and that they prey on the gullibility of youngsters who can't discrminate between the computer games they play and the brutal and unforgiving realities of warfare. Quelle suprise! (One for the Foreign Legion mes amis)

Now am I being cynical when I corrleate the 'gung-ho' attitude of gangs of young males hanging about our town centres and their complete inability to grasp the life changing implications of maiming and death and the disconnect between a recruitment advert and reality?

'Military' service does exactly what it says on the tin... originating in 1460, from M.Fr. militaire, from L. militaris "of soldiers or war," - Job? = War Fighting strange that, no mention of skiing at all!