About methods, measurements, errors, baits and the art of debating

[Pckts]

(09-18-2015, 08:26 AM)Shardul Wrote: You guys don't need to take that poster so seriously. What does he want to prove? That the tiger is smaller than the lion? Let him think whatever he wants and don't let his views affect yours. Remember, some people are not interested in a debate, but only fights.

I've seen the Carnivora forum before and this forum is several notches above that one, IMO. The level of discussion and the posters there clearly don't match the standards here. There is a reason why I chose to post here. People here are reasonable, and the level of discourse is great. No silly vs fights.

I see that the internet is filled with people who predict weights of animals that they have never even seen, and that too with such confidence that they'll fight over every last kg that they can shave off of the animal they don't like. You can make estimates based on images, yes, but it should be treated like that, just an estimate. How can you be so sure that a particular tiger is 200kg and not 220 kg? Did you see him in person? Have you ever weighed tigers? Do you know what a 220 kg tiger looks like? have you ever seen a wild tiger? The answer would be all no. Yet they continue to fight.

Now, you can rely on scientific papers, in the absence of everything else. And the words of people who remain in close association with the tiger reserves. But the fact still remains, most tigers have never been weighed. There are 2000 plus tigers in India, how many of them have been weighed? And yet people find it very difficult to believe that there could be giant tigers out there somewhere.

I absolutely agree, its hard to step away in the midst of it and stop or move on though. But its a continued process of growth, that being said, great things do come from it.
It forces us to confirm claims i:e: Research.

Which leads to new questions and discoveries, and the passion one derives from these debates can be used to accomplish great things.

Guates post are one of those things, the amount of research and investigation that goes into those posts are impressive.

Getting the real information from the scientists at hand also allowed us to settle debates that had been going on for quite some time. Reply