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June 30, 2006
Caveats: Why We May Lose Many Battles but Eventually Will Win the War
Chris Mooney says of Gore's An Inconvenient Truth,
. . . though I am not a scientist, being pretty familiar with much climate science I felt that most of what I saw was accurate. However, I was most troubled by the treatment of the hurricane issue. Not because there isn't an issue, but because the film--and apparently Gore--did not include the appropriate caveats, such as the following:
- Global warming doesn't "cause" storms; though it will surely change the typical environment in which they form.
- There is considerable debate over the extent to which global warming has already intensified tropical cyclones; though there are strong thermodynamic reasons for thinking that it will do so.
Rational people spell out their caveats but often have them thrown back in their face. All too often, these caveats are misused in an effort to show that the rational are not sure of their position and therefore it might be wrong or, worse, that the caveats prove that they are wrong. Well in truth, rational people are never completely sure they are correct. But having their caveats turn against them is really only a disingenuous trick of those who have no caveats and therefore little or no knowledge.
It is exactly these caveats that will, in the end, provide the context for knowledge to prevail over ignorance. At least I think it is. In truth, caveats, when properly understood, often provide the motivation and context for further inquiry. Those who have no caveats often have no knowledge.
Posted by DuaneSmith at June 30, 2006 03:10 PM | Read more on Odds and Ends |
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