In America, it's impossible to have an intelligent discussion...
"LET US BE HONEST about the intellectual culture of America in general: It has become almost impossible to have an intelligent discussion about anything.
Everything is a war now. This is the age of lethal verbal combat, where even scientific issues involving measurements and molecules are somehow supernaturally polarizing. The controversy about global warming resides all too perfectly at the collision point of environmentalism and free market capitalism. It's bound to be not only politicized but twisted, mangled and beaten senseless in the process.
Already there is no shortage of articles, websites and even movies that show the errors of the skeptics. It's not for a simple lack of information that so much of the public thinks there is still much scientific debate on the subject. Because real argument has become so debased, it actually dignifies positions like creationism and global warming denial to argue with them. And as Achenbach writes,
The skeptics don't have to win the argument, they just have to stay in the game, keep things stirred up and make sure the politicians don't pass any laws that have dangerous climate change as a premise. They're winning that battle." (Quoted from Scientific American online 6-02-06)
I read this passage, focused particularly on an article by Joel Achenbach on Global Warming skeptics and was struck by how sadly true the observation is in all sorts of arenas, not just global warming. Actual discussion of issues from abortion to the conduct of foreign policy to drilling in ANWR rarely takes place in the chamber of 'intelligent discussion'. And while some of these issues are less empirical in their terms than the question of whether the world is warming up, debate rarely starts from the premise of identfying what's fact and then agreeing that differing opinions can be held about what those facts might mean. The debate tool of choice is the flamethrower- torching everything about an opposing view whether or not it's justified. The reality that no discussion is ever ended by reference to fact because uncomfortable facts can be ignored or denied leaves us as a culture trapped in endless debate and unable to choose policies that would move us forward with the greatest longterm benefit to our society. And trapped therein, we risk finding one day that facts have overrun us.
davidrites
Everything is a war now. This is the age of lethal verbal combat, where even scientific issues involving measurements and molecules are somehow supernaturally polarizing. The controversy about global warming resides all too perfectly at the collision point of environmentalism and free market capitalism. It's bound to be not only politicized but twisted, mangled and beaten senseless in the process.
Already there is no shortage of articles, websites and even movies that show the errors of the skeptics. It's not for a simple lack of information that so much of the public thinks there is still much scientific debate on the subject. Because real argument has become so debased, it actually dignifies positions like creationism and global warming denial to argue with them. And as Achenbach writes,
The skeptics don't have to win the argument, they just have to stay in the game, keep things stirred up and make sure the politicians don't pass any laws that have dangerous climate change as a premise. They're winning that battle." (Quoted from Scientific American online 6-02-06)
I read this passage, focused particularly on an article by Joel Achenbach on Global Warming skeptics and was struck by how sadly true the observation is in all sorts of arenas, not just global warming. Actual discussion of issues from abortion to the conduct of foreign policy to drilling in ANWR rarely takes place in the chamber of 'intelligent discussion'. And while some of these issues are less empirical in their terms than the question of whether the world is warming up, debate rarely starts from the premise of identfying what's fact and then agreeing that differing opinions can be held about what those facts might mean. The debate tool of choice is the flamethrower- torching everything about an opposing view whether or not it's justified. The reality that no discussion is ever ended by reference to fact because uncomfortable facts can be ignored or denied leaves us as a culture trapped in endless debate and unable to choose policies that would move us forward with the greatest longterm benefit to our society. And trapped therein, we risk finding one day that facts have overrun us.
davidrites
Comments
An American quote:
"Fix reason firmly in her seat...
Call to her tribunal every fact,
Every opinion. Question with boldness even the existance of
a God, for if there be one, He
would more approve the homage of
reason, than that of blindfolded
Fear. Your own reason is the only
Oracle given you by heaven, and
you are responsible...."
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