06-16-2008, 04:40 PM | #31 | ||
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"... the arc of the universe is long but it bends toward justice." Martin Luther King, Jr. |
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06-16-2008, 04:42 PM | #32 | |
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You expect a meaningful summary in one sentence?
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06-16-2008, 04:43 PM | #33 | |
Charon
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If you buy into that type of conspiracy theory then there is not much point in having a debate. You can pretty much write off all basic scientific research also, since scientists don't work for free.
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"... the arc of the universe is long but it bends toward justice." Martin Luther King, Jr. |
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06-16-2008, 04:53 PM | #34 |
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While State of Fear surely makes some interesting arguments, the idea of taking a work of fiction as a convincing argument on any subject makes me laugh.
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06-16-2008, 04:55 PM | #35 |
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I haven't read the book, but perhaps the strength of Crichton's "argument" is the source material his "science" is based on.
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06-16-2008, 04:56 PM | #36 | |
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We have discussions regarding the various causes contributing to climactic change. I'm okay with that so far. Next we have politicians, not necessarily known for honesty or lacking an agenda, backing certain plausible explanations for climactic changes. And with these theories come legislative changes which benefit some of these politicians financially. And then we see groups of these scientists proclaiming "everybody agrees that this nascent science can determine with relative certitude that manmade greenhouses gases significantly contribute to climactic change." So I reasonably assume that these hysterical voices sound like they have a biased agenda. I don't believe the medical industry suppresses cures, and am much more familiar with how that industry operates. I charge the hysterians with how their agenda has become politicized to benefit the hysterians financially. I don't believe it's really conspiracy, but more a tacit recognition how to get more money, it's a classic research technique, feed panic and politicians will throw money at you. A researcher lives off of public funding.
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06-16-2008, 05:04 PM | #37 | |
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Personally, I thought the arguments themselves were more interesting than the science it was based on...for example, the difficulty involved in removing all the natural variables involved in the climate in order to isolate the man-made vectors. Additionally, the argument that warming, while bad for some areas of the earth, could prove beneficial for other areas...and the fact that the measures used to limit greenhouse pollution is inhibitive of third-world populations' advance towards modern production... Still, a work of fiction will always be fiction, and shouldn't itself be used as an authoritative scientific document.
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"My days of not respecting you are certainly coming to a middle." -Malcolm Reynolds "It doesn't mean that if we lose a game or when we lose a game people won't then jump on and say the quest is over. Because they will. But they've missed the point." -Bronco Mendenhall on "The Quest" |
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06-16-2008, 05:09 PM | #38 |
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Personally, while I'm unconvinced that man has had a large affect on global warming, I still think that doing what I realistically can to limit my own pollution is a smart move. Not making realistic changes in my own practices simply because I may not be causing warming seems to be rather ignorant to me.
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"My days of not respecting you are certainly coming to a middle." -Malcolm Reynolds "It doesn't mean that if we lose a game or when we lose a game people won't then jump on and say the quest is over. Because they will. But they've missed the point." -Bronco Mendenhall on "The Quest" |
06-16-2008, 05:12 PM | #39 | |
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The questions always revolve around costs/benefits and priorities. Do we pour billions down a rabbit hole if we have no idea it will impact the environment, positively or negatively? The reason for the hysteria is to steer economic policy.
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06-16-2008, 05:45 PM | #40 | |
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I agree, there are MANY (Al Gore) who will use this as political leverage, and we should be careful to avoid listening to those individuals very closely. Still, I don't think even a majority of scientists fall into this group. I would bet most are trying to honestly research the issue. Some things I would NOT currently do, due to fear of man-made global warming (warning - these will consist of double-negatives): -Not drill economically viable oil sites in the U.S. -Buy a hybrid that gets 40mpg, and costs 3x as much as my Toyota Corolla that gets 35mpg. -Spend thousands of dollars on 'clean' energy for my home. Some things I WOULD do, right now: -Start carpooling & mass transit where available & convenient. -Limit unnecessary driving. -Work on my wife not leaving lights all over the bloody house on all the time. How hard is it to flip off a switch on your way out the door?
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"My days of not respecting you are certainly coming to a middle." -Malcolm Reynolds "It doesn't mean that if we lose a game or when we lose a game people won't then jump on and say the quest is over. Because they will. But they've missed the point." -Bronco Mendenhall on "The Quest" |
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