Posted on 04/22/2017 10:23:21 PM PDT by smashtheleft
So, “scientists” marched today, demanding proper respect for science. What a crock. Who isn’t appreciative of science and what it adds to the quality of our life? Who isn’t grateful that diseases that used to be a death sentence are now easily and routinely treated? Who isn’t grateful that an acre of soil yields more tons of yummy nutrients than ever in history? Who isn’t grateful that we have more available energy in reach under the soil than at any time before now?
No, what some people disingenuously call a disregard for science is actually opposition to political agendas opportunistically attached to science…and sometimes not even science, but speculation. More on that in a minute. But, first, let’s discuss the limits of science.
Science is a method of inquiry to produce reliable information. Watch. Hypothesize. Test. Check results. Report information. Science is not a body of information or a consensus or a political agenda. Science is not a prescription for policy. Science is a method to produce useful information to make choices. Consider:
What if science (and road engineers and actuaries) could establish that a universal 25 mph speed limit would save X thousand lives per year? Would science therefore dictate that society adopt a 25 mph speed limit? Would opponents of the life-saving speed limit be “science deniers”?
Of course not. Everyone knows choices involve trade offs. Slower speed limits would produce all kinds of loss and hardship. Longer working days. Produce rotting before it gets to the shelves. Fewer meetings and appointments because of the time required. And dates. Men and women would have a harder time enjoying dates. And so on.
Science can provide the information about the trade offs. But then, people need to apply value judgments to decide how to respond. In some cases, those value judgments might need to take the form of public policy. Which gets us to the real issue here, global warming.
The “March for Science” is almost certainly a leftist stalking horse to insult the public for not buying into the leftist demand to abandon fossil fuels, impoverish billions, lavishly enrich some cronies, and start sucking hard on a tiny straw to live on “green energy.”
Without getting into the weeds about all the problems of catastrophic global warming theory, let’s just observe a few things. There is no “consensus” or 97% agreement that human activity is destroying the habitable planet. There is observation that the earth is warming, and has been, since the mini ice age ended in about 1800.
The role that carbon dioxide plays in that warming is unknown. All the models that assign it a villainous role have been wrong in their projections about what temperature would do. In fact, the earth is no in a 20-year pause in warming and the warmalarmists can’t explain that.
Moreover, nothing about warming is a fact established by the scientific method. It is a projection, established by computer models, that have been wrong in every case, but that we are endlessly beaten about the head and shoulders by pundits telling us that 97% agree…on something.
Whether warming, if it resumes and continues, will ultimately produce more harm or more good is also unknown. Humans have generally fared better in warmer periods than in colder periods. Carbon dioxide has been higher while temperatures have been lower. Whether cutting off affordable energy that has lifted billions out of poverty will even affect global temperatures is also unknown.
All that we know is that corrupt, unscientific organizations like the United Nations, hackepreneurs like Al Gore, profiteers like Tom Steyer, and sneering leftists like the New York Times are demanding that people surrender their comfort and quality of life to a new regimen controlled by politicians,. hackepreneurs, profiteers, and sneering leftists.
By the way, if science is so infallible, why are they just figuring out that fat and salt and eggs are not so villainous but sugar might be? Seems like something they could have observed decades ago. But I’m sure they’ve got earth’s atmosphere dialed down and nailed cold. And can manage it like a thermostat. And where are the science lovers when science indicates GMOs and nuclear power can offer safe miracles? Or that fetuses have brains and a heartbeat? Or that genitals are real things, not social constructs?
So, while I am super grateful for the next advance against cancer, or in nanotechnology, or 3-D printing, I will fight hard to keep my coal and natural gas and comfortable thermostat setting, and roll my eyes about anyone’s “March for Science.” I hope they soaked George Soros for millions. I’m pretty sure they didn’t pick up their trash.
Remember when scientists eagerly participated in sending men to the moon before they decided that the tax payers that funded the effort were evil for driving automobiles and undergirding a society that could afford to do that?
March for science is to try and convince people that federal funds used for research shouldnt be cut off except that we’re in a 19 trillion dollar hole. Well too late...if we keep deficit funding there willbe NO funds for anything unless our new financial lords want to give us...some.....a few researchers will be reduced to servicing robot burger flippers..
Probably a fundraiser for more shrimp treadmills. Those shrimp are tearing those things up. Support “science”.
“Science” to the political left is a code word unquestioning loyalty to a one-sided ideology. You must believe gender is a mental construct instead of a biological fact. You must believe that only humans cause climate change. You must believe in government. If you don’t, you’re anti-science (i.e. an infidel).
Wouldn’t it be great if scientists actually got back to doing science instead of trying to pad their wallets!?
Modern definition of political science; Science dictated by politics.
Today was ‘Picnic Day’ in Davis, a time when UC Davis encourages families to come visit the campus (as well as potential new students) and traditionally it becomes a drunken party.
As I’ve yet to pick up a viable full time job, I was there doing ride shares for money. Not the most profitable gig, but you do what you need to to put food on the table.
As is typical in most college towns, there’s quite a number of Her Turn type stickers out and about on cars as well as march for science signs.
Someone asks my political viewpoint, I tell them, but otherwise there’s nothing to indicate any preference on or in my vehicle.
After nearly a thousand rides, I had my first authoritarian (you shall believe what I do or else) rider. He brought up Trump, I grunted, he wanted a response, I demured, he melted down and got left on the side of a rural road.
I don’t tell others what to think, I express an opinion and why I think that. Which was of course ‘wrong.’
Oh, hey, and coincidentally, also got a low review today which the company has already removed from the account. And when the person tried to claim that a cell phone was left behind, the company helpfully provided the coordinates where the phone was and that it was the same MAC address which was used to file the complaint.
I answered all the questions of the ride share company and offered to upload the raw video of the ride, confrontation and drop off.
Sounds like I should have been in Berkeley.
That is still too complicated for the science morons.
Suppose the scientific universal 25 mph speed limit were in force, YOU had a stroke and the nearest emergency room were 10 miles away...
Your life would not be saved, but think of the thousands of lives that would be, if the scientific benefit were observed.
“March For Science Is A Cute Leftist Trick...”
So is “Earth Day”.
OK!! Everybody pay attention!
Lesson for today:
1. The sun is 1,300,000 times as big as the earth.
2. The sun is a giant nuclear furnace that controls the climates of all its planets.
3. The earth is one of the sun’s planets.
4. The earth is a speck in comparison to the size of the sun.
5. Inhabitants of the earth are less than specks.
Study Question: How do less-than-specks in congress plan to control the sun?
Science IS whatever the highest bidder wants it to be.
Thank you for this post. Oh, thank you. Somehow or another humans just will think they can control everything...while indeed we are mere mots in the wind.
This is all climate change all the time.
You are absolutely correct.
Not a word ever about how bammy cut space exploration. Nothing at all was ever mentioned about this, to protect his royal a$$.
I lived through the gas lines, 55 mph national speed limit, and thermostat cops.
Never again.
The Cold War drove a lot of the technology that we take for granted today. Wonder how these scientists reconcile this fact with their agenda.
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