Quote:
Originally Posted by Pineedles
And you think calling us and our belief quackery, is respectful?
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Well, Pineedles, I didn't know that I had accused you of quackery, nor did I know what it mean for sure, so I went and looked it up.
"Dictionaries define quack as ... "one who talks pretentiously without sound knowledge of the subject discussed." [This] definitions suggest that the promotion of quackery involves deliberate deception, but many promoters sincerely believe in what they are doing. "
"Unproven methods are not necessarily quackery. Those consistent with established scientific concepts may be considered experimental. Legitimate researchers and practitioners do not promote unproven procedures in the marketplace but engage in responsible, properly-designed studies. Methods not compatible with established scientific concepts should be classified as nonsensical or disproven rather than experimental. Methods that sound scientific but are nonsensical can also be classified as pseudoscientific."
So, while I didn't call you this, the definition of quackery fits my understanding of the position you are taking on global warming. Just like the idea cigarettes
were not definitely connected to cancer deaths turned out to be a promotion of various parties who had a lot to lose if they were found out, I think the evidence is pretty clear that the idea that global warming
isn't definitely a (or the) major problem facing us turns out to be a promotion of various groups (US Chamber of Commerce, fossil fuel firms, etc.) who have a lot to lose if we start listening to and acting on the recommendations of impartial scientists.
My original statement in my first post on this thread was that I found it fascinating that there were still people who admitted they denied that global warming was real. I'm still fascinated.... and amazed... and deeply saddened at what increasingly appears to me to be "stick-head-in-sand" behavior. I find it hard to believe anyone reading (or knowing about) the US Academy of Sciences position, the UN's position, the position of every Academy of Science of every major country with an active research establishment can somehow say "it feels colder this winter, global warming must be bunk". I certainly don't have a degree in climatology, but when all of them are in agreement, worldwide, I trust the scientific research their discipline does, and the conclusions they reach.