It would be nice if bloggers (and commentators) on these issues would stick to dicussing the facts, and refrain from impugning motives and personal attacks.

This criticism applies to a greater or lesser degree to most people who blog on this subject, so I am not just criticising this blog.

Readers can make their own judgments about whether (insert name) is arrogant, egotistical, greedy, stupid, aggressive, balanced , knowledgeable, nice, horrible, fat, lean, a shill, or whatever.

To all bloggers: more signal, less noise please. Resist resorting to the ad hominem stuff; in the end it does no good. I know how hard it is to resist attacking someone who has attacked or misrepresented you. I live in a glass house too.

Please (all) impress me and others with high quality discussion while treating others with dignity and respect (whether or not you think they deserve it. Show you are better by not taking the bait.

Steve L (maybe I will post this comment on other blogs to show I am trying to be even-handed here)

Steve (also Australian)

However, as you say, the demarcation line defining science surely includes statements of the form “There exists X, and here’s what we found”. The idea that the whole of science consists of universal laws has been a source of confusion.