Re: [asa] Baylor, Marks, and Uncommon Descent

At 12:15 PM 9/6/2007, PIM wrote:

> "..Oh well, when science is lacking, what else is there but to
> influence public perception, even if it eventually runs afoul of St
> Augustine? ~ Pim

@ You got that right!

"The evolution of the scientific debate about
anthropogenic [man-caused] climate change illustrates both the
value of skepticism and the pitfalls of partisanship." " Scientists
are most effective when they provide sound, impartial advice, but
their reputation for impartiality is severely compromised by the
shocking lack of political diversity among American academics, who
suffer from the kind of group-think that develops in cloistered
cultures. Until this profound and well documented intellectual
homogeneity changes, scientists will be suspected of constituting a
leftist think tank." "On the left, an argument emerged urging fellow
scientists to deliberately exaggerate their findings so as to
galvanize an apathetic public..." "Conservatives have usually been
strong supporters of nuclear power. .. Had it not been for green
opposition, the United States today might derive most of its
electricity from nuclear power, as does France; thus the
environmentalists must accept a large measure of responsibility for
today's most critical environmental problem." ~ Kerry Emmanuel -
MIT http://bostonreview.net/BR32.1/emanuel.html

"Recently many people have said that the earth is facing a crisis
requiring urgent action. This statement has nothing to do with
science. Frankly, the very idea of consensus in such an immature and
multi- faceted subject as climate change should be suspicious ab
initio. Consensus is largely a propaganda claim designed to relieve
ordinary people of the need to understand the issue. This is neither
good for science nor for public policy. . " ~ Richard S.
Lindzed the Alfred P. Sloan Professor of Meteorology at
MIT. Global Warming: The Origin and Nature of the Alleged Scientific
Consensus http://www.cato.org/pubs/regulation/regv15n2/reg15n2g.html

~ Janice

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Received on Thu Sep 6 12:54:57 2007