Bronchial Asthma and Atopy: A Concorded Hypothesis by Alex Dunedin

This is a thesis examining bronchial asthma and allergic conditions (Type 1 Hypersensitivity) postulating them as a result of a deficiency of the enzyme lipoprotein lipase and glucuronidation which functions in phase II detoxification processes. Structured and laid out as an example of a concorded hypothesis for the purposes of examining methodologies in the the sciences and knowledge production, the document is designed to provoke and facilitate discussion on the formation of hypotheses. In this case the content of the thesis is almost beside the point.  The question of how we build and document understandings so that arguments may be discussable, accountable and testable is of greater interest. Read more…

Scientific Method

In a world that is not directly understandable we find that we sometimes disagree with others as to the facts of the things we see in the world around us.

We also find that there are things in the world that are at odds with our present understanding. One must ask a meaningful question or identify a significant problem, and one should be able to state the problem or question in a way that is conceivably possible to answer it. Any attempt to gain knowledge must start here. Scientific method refers to the process by which scientists, collectively and over time, endeavor to construct an accurate, reliable, consistent and non-arbitrary representation of the world. Read more…

The Traditional, the Contemporary and Orthodoxy

The roots of the word ‘orthodox’ help to clarify the distinguishing qualities of established schools of thought to the neophyte arrangements which fit outside of the canon of currently accepted scientific knowledge.

The word orthodox arises from two Greek words, ortho and doxa. Ortho has the meaning; in composition, straight: upright: perpendicular: right: genuine: derived from the Greek, orthos, meaning straight, upright, right. Doxa has the meaning: derived from the Greek meaning opinion and relating sound in doctrine: believing or according to the received or established doctrines or opinions. Read more…