Inconclusive Quotes

Logicians and others often state: “It is impossible to prove a negative.” For example, there were those who suggested that the HIV virus could not be transmitted by mosquitoes. They pointed to the lack of any research proving that misquotes could not transmit the virus as evidence that there was a likely risk. However, the scientist had shown that there was not a single case yet where mosquitoes could be implicated—even in areas of high mosquito infestation. But there is no way of doing an experiment to show that in no possible case or circumstance could a mosquito transmit the virus or a butterfly or hurricanes. Generally negatives cannot be established with logical rigor.

Bacon argued that only personal experience or experiment would remove doubt.

The military were furious with him and tried to discredit him. But he had won the Pulitzer Price for Journalism twice and his view was read and considered by many. He tuned out to have been right and an uneasy cessation of hostilities and a divided Korea with 40,000 American troops at the border existed 60 years later in the longest military stalemate of the 20th century.