Scientific Skepticism
Scientists generally interpret the doctrine of signatures as superstition. The links are not causal and are consequently widely regarded as purely coincidental. There is no evidence that plant signatures helped in the discovery of medical uses of the plants. The signatures are described as post hoc attributions and mnemonics. Their mnemonic status is of value in creating a system for remembering actions attributed to medical herbs.
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Famous quotes containing the words scientific and/or skepticism:
“The conclusion suggested by these arguments might be called the paradox of theorizing. It asserts that if the terms and the general principles of a scientific theory serve their purpose, i. e., if they establish the definite connections among observable phenomena, then they can be dispensed with since any chain of laws and interpretive statements establishing such a connection should then be replaceable by a law which directly links observational antecedents to observational consequents.”
—C.G. (Carl Gustav)
“No actual skeptic, so far as I know, has claimed to disbelieve in an objective world. Skepticism is not a denial of belief, but rather a denial of rational grounds for belief.”
—William Pepperell Montague (1842–1910)