Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Climate Deniers Are Giving Us Skeptics a Bad Name

By S. Fred Singer

Gallia omnia est divisa in partes tres.  This phrase from Julius Gaius Caesar about the division of Gaul nicely illustrates the universe of climate scientists -- also divided into three parts.  On the one side are the "warmistas," with fixed views about apocalyptic man-made global warming; at the other extreme are the "deniers."  Somewhere in the middle are climate skeptics.

In principle, every true scientist must be a skeptic.  That's how we're trained; we question experiments, and we question theories.  We try to repeat or independently derive what we read in publications -- just to make sure that no mistakes have been made.  

In my view, warmistas and deniers are very similar in some respects -- at least their extremists are.  They have fixed ideas about climate, its change, and its cause.  They both ignore "inconvenient truths" and select data and facts that support their preconceived views.  Many of them are also quite intolerant and unwilling to discuss or debate these views -- and quite willing to think the worst of their opponents.

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