ABSTRACT

The basis of the scientific method is the development of intellectual models, the predictions of which are then subjected to scientific evaluation. Indeed the real value of these models is the predictions they make. Whether or not these models are ‘true’ is not crucial since it is only through the testing of their predictions that their fraudulence can be exposed. As Nobel Laureate A.V.Hill wrote in 1965:

I have long believed, and am still inclined to believe, that all theories of muscle contraction are wrong. But they have been very useful in stimulating new research. In fact, many of the best theories are self destructive, by provoking fresh inquiry and leading to new facts which they cannot explain. The only useless theories are those that cannot be tested and can explain everything (362-3).