Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Quote of Note: Sean Gonsalves
"For the record, I didn't see, nor do I intend to see, 'Inconvenient Truth.' I was never subjected to any 'save the earth' curriculum that my kids now receive. I do not belong to any environmental organization and, frankly, the upper-class, granola-bar-eating, healthier-than-thou, eco-fundamentalism characteristic of some 'liberals' is about as attractive to me as growing up female under the Taliban.
"I'm not a scientist -- just like most people reading this right now. But like Bertrand Russell said: 'Clearly, if you are going to believe anything outside your own experience, you should have some reason for believing it. Usually, the reason is authority... . It is true that most of us must inevitably depend upon (authority) for most of our knowledge.' When it comes to global warming I make Pascal's Wager and put it on. It's better to believe the warnings of global warming scientists and adhere to the "precautionary principle" than not believe and suffer the consequences."
Sean Gonsalves, syndicated columnist, http://alternet.org/columnists/story/51566/
"I'm not a scientist -- just like most people reading this right now. But like Bertrand Russell said: 'Clearly, if you are going to believe anything outside your own experience, you should have some reason for believing it. Usually, the reason is authority... . It is true that most of us must inevitably depend upon (authority) for most of our knowledge.' When it comes to global warming I make Pascal's Wager and put it on. It's better to believe the warnings of global warming scientists and adhere to the "precautionary principle" than not believe and suffer the consequences."
Sean Gonsalves, syndicated columnist, http://alternet.org/columnists/story/51566/
Technorati Tags: ClimateChange, GlobalWarming, QuoteOfNote, Science
Comments:
Scott Adams is delving into this subject this week, too, interestingly, over at his DilbertBlog.
His conclusions and views are likewise interesting:
In 1,
2,
3,
4 verses, with a bridge that delves into the absolute value of peer review.
Adams garners mixed reviews, but I like his stuff.
His conclusions and views are likewise interesting:
In 1,
2,
3,
4 verses, with a bridge that delves into the absolute value of peer review.
Adams garners mixed reviews, but I like his stuff.
Sorry, but that's just as pathetic as the original wager. If thinking people won't bother to participate in science, they'll be led by their noses into whatever those parties that do participate desire. Much like those intellectuals who didn't bother to understand economics in the early 20th century.
The ''precautionary principle'' is a recipe for doing nothing. Don't develop vaccines -- inject live germs into people?? Who KNOWS what could happen. Don't build bridges -- they might fall down (many did).
There's a very simple colloquial phrase for the ''precautionary principle'': fucking stupid.
There's a very simple colloquial phrase for the ''precautionary principle'': fucking stupid.
Okay, but more accurately, the '''precautionary principle''' says "I got mine, I'm comfortable, screw you if you want yours." It's an expression of the ultimate smugness. It is based in the same idea as the worst Kansas Creationism: don't take any chances with the Bible, because if any of it is proven to be nonsense, all of it might be nonsense.
It's an expression of a conservative idea -- and not any of the good ones, either.
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It's an expression of a conservative idea -- and not any of the good ones, either.
