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Do polls scientifically answer a question?

sfs

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Do polls scientifically answer a question?
Scientifically designed and implemented polls scientifically answer certain kinds of questions, e.g. what people think about various subjects.
 
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I agree, this thread need a poll.

Let's take a vote on whether or not this thread needs a poll and tally it up in a way that is easy for all members to view.

F2xR8.jpg
 
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pgp_protector

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Diane_Windsor

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Do polls scientifically answer a question?

In my understanding to scientifically prove something you must first replicate it in the lab. So no, polls do not fit into those parameters and thus cannot scientifically answer questions.
 
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elahmine

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It strongly depends on how the poll is done. The polls used on Christian Forums=not scientific. Besides whether a poll is reliable or not is more in the realm of statistics. A proper poll gets a lot of people from different backgrounds, ethnicities, economic statuses, et cetera, et cetera, to answer their polls. There are more standards but I'm blanking. Sorry finals tomorrow.
 
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Diane_Windsor

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It strongly depends on how the poll is done. The polls used on Christian Forums=not scientific. Besides whether a poll is reliable or not is more in the realm of statistics. A proper poll gets a lot of people from different backgrounds, ethnicities, economic statuses, et cetera, et cetera, to answer their polls. There are more standards but I'm blanking. Sorry finals tomorrow.

Exactly. :thumbsup:
 
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sfs

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There is no requirement that scientific findings be replicated in a lab. Scientific findings can be based purely on observation, like almost all of astronomy for example.
 
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Split Rock

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There is no requirement that scientific findings be replicated in a lab. Scientific findings can be based purely on observation, like almost all of astronomy for example.

We see this mistake all the tiime here, don't we? Scientific experiments need to be replicatable, not theories. I may start a new thread on this...
 
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Diane_Windsor

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My opinion still stands. As the PP stated polls are in the realm of statistics, which is a branch of mathematics.

We see this mistake all the tiime here, don't we? Scientific experiments need to be replicatable, not theories. I may start a new thread on this...

Please do.
 
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sfs

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My opinion still stands.
You can hold onto any opinion you like -- but you haven't given any reason to think your opinion has any relationship to real scientific practice in this case. Is it your opinion that astronomy is not science, or do you believe that supernovae can be replicated in laboratories?

As the PP stated polls are in the realm of statistics, which is a branch of mathematics.
The design and the interpretation of polls are subjects for statistics, as is the case for most quantitative scientific studies. The results of polls are empirical data about the physical world, and are therefore not part of mathematics, but rather of science (social science, in this case).
 
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Diane_Windsor

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You can hold onto any opinion you like -- but you haven't given any reason to think your opinion has any relationship to real scientific practice in this case. Is it your opinion that astronomy is not science, or do you believe that supernovae can be replicated in laboratories?

Of course astronomy is a part of science. Sheesh ~ I mispoke :doh: So what? Posters here aren't required to have a BS degree.

The design and the interpretation of polls are subjects for statistics, as is the case for most quantitative scientific studies. The results of polls are empirical data about the physical world, and are therefore not part of mathematics, but rather of science (social science, in this case).

My answer to the following question, "Do polls scientifically answer a question?" is still no. You can ask 1000 people if the moon is Earth's satellite, but the results of that poll will not give you a scientific answer. In order to scientifically answer that question you must observe the moon and it's relationship to Earth. You can ask 1000 more people if there is a "God" gene, but the poll results will not be scientific. Science is all about observing the natural world around us while polls are about ascertaning people's opinions. Opinions cannot scientifcally answer a question.
 
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sfs

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Of course astronomy is a part of science. Sheesh ~ I mispoke :doh:
It wasn't a big deal. I just pointed out that you'd said something wrong about science -- that its results need to be replicated in the lab. Since that's a common mistake about science, I thought it worthwhile to point out that it's not true.

My answer to the following question, "Do polls scientifically answer a question?" is still no. You can ask 1000 people if the moon is Earth's satellite, but the results of that poll will not give you a scientific answer. In order to scientifically answer that question you must observe the moon and it's relationship to Earth. You can ask 1000 more people if there is a "God" gene, but the poll results will not be scientific. Science is all about observing the natural world around us while polls are about ascertaning people's opinions. Opinions cannot scientifcally answer a question.
We're answering different questions. No, polls do not tell you whether the moon is Earth's satellite. What they do tell you is what people think about the moon, or about all sorts of other things. How they reason, what they know, what moral values they profess. Since humans are also part of the natural world around us, they are also legitimate subject of scientific study, and therefore polls do answer scientific questions. That's why I specified that they provided data for the social sciences, not the physical sciences.
 
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