Statements that are true independent of the data are analytic (informally, “tautological”). If you are talking about properties of power laws you are probably describing “underlying reality”. If you say some property of nature obeys a power law then probably not.
Frank
From: Friam [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Nick Thompson
Sent: Saturday, February 17, 2018 10:19 AM
To: 'The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group'
Subject: Re: [FRIAM] Scant evidence of power laws
Absolute power corrupts absolutely – Lord Acton
The article is very good. I recommend it to my fellow “citizens”.
What always amazes me about physicists is how easily they slide between their descriptive laws and their explanatory principles. Is the power law a descriptive generality that can be falsified by statistical analysis or an “underlying Reality” that is true no matter what the data say.
Nick
Nicholas S. Thompson
Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Biology
Clark University
http://home.earthlink.net/~nickthompson/naturaldesigns/
From: Friam [[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Roger Critchlow
Sent: Friday, February 16, 2018 11:03 PM
To: The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group <[hidden email]>
Subject: Re: [FRIAM] Scant evidence of power laws
You missed it, it's linked in the lede, 2nd through 4th words.
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