An attempt to educate a reporter at Slate. It’s actually sort of a fisking by email.
Category Archives: Science And Society
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Is it a hoax?
It wouldn’t surprise me. I think all this outlawing of plastic bags is silly.
Political Ideologies
Are they partly heritable? This seems related to Jonathan Haidt’s work.
Stadium Wave Theory
A fairly rigorous treatment, and correction of Michael Mann.
The Problem With Science
…is scientists:
Before I go on, I should note that my objection to Professor Weinberg’s essay is the stupidity and crudeness of its argument; I largely agree with his position about funding ambitious science. In fact, it is because I agree with his position on Big Science that the rest of his essay vexes me. His good point is wrapped in a wrongheaded and poisonous generality; it’s like serving an ice-cream sundae in a bowl shaped like Andrew Cuomo’s face.
Note also Weinberg’s ignorant bashing of ISS. It’s so funny that he thinks it’s about science.
Also read Charles W. Cooke’s appropriately pitiless (as Kevin says) take down of the Neil deGrasse Tyson cult. [Note, it’s behind a paywall]
The Big Fat Silence
It’s time to end it:
…if one has been teaching that high-fat diets can lead to heart attacks for 30 years but then finds that this may not be true, or that, indeed, more fat and less carbohydrate in the diet may be beneficial to one’s health and longevity, feelings of discomfort can result. Subconscious mechanisms may then keep enduring convictions firmly in place for extended periods of time, despite evidence to the contrary.
And it’s hard to confront the fact that you may have been responsible for the poor health and lives cut short of people you’ve been advising.
California’s Hydromania
Adjustments To Temperature Data
The Hobby Lobby Decision
No, it’s not based on a “scientific mistake.”
And yes, the morning-after pill is an abortafacient.
The Stupidity Of BMI
This woman is an excellent example of it.