The increasing frequency with which I hear scientists misuse the word \u201cagnostic\u201d is starting to annoy me. It\u2019s usually used to mean \u201cI don\u2019t have a strong preference\u201d: for example, \u201cI\u2019m agnostic as to protocol \u2013 I could go either way if someone else has a strong opinion\u201d when discussing how to conduct an experiment.<\/p>\n
This is not what agnostic means! What it does mean is \u201cI don\u2019t believe it’s possible to know the right answer\u201d. So when you say you\u2019re agnostic as to protocol, it means you don\u2019t think it\u2019s possible to know how to choose the right experimental method. (This may actually be true in some cases, but I doubt it\u2019s what most speakers mean).<\/p>\n
A plague of protocol fundamentalism upon people who misuse the word agnostic!<\/strong><\/p>\n (I don\u2019t mind the South Park<\/em> episode about militant agnostics<\/a>, though. That was pretty damn funny).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The increasing frequency with which I hear scientists misuse the word \u201cagnostic\u201d is starting to annoy me. It\u2019s usually used to mean \u201cI don\u2019t have a strong preference\u201d: for example, \u201cI\u2019m agnostic as to protocol \u2013 I could go either … Continue reading