Saturday, February 11, 2017

Global Warming: A First Look

This week I read a Facebook post headlined, "Top Scientist Resigns Admitting Global Warming Is a Big Scam." The post consisted of a letter of resignation from the American Physical Society by Hal Lewis, Professor Emeritus of Physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

This post doesn't qualify as "fake news," but it certainly falls short of being the whole truth. Here are some reasons why:

1. This post is not "news" because the letter was written more than six years ago and the original post came from September 29,2015. Maybe this simply shows that nothing ever really dies on Facebook.

2. Hal Lewis 87 years old when he wrote his letter, and could only be described as a "top scientist" within his specialty, the field of nuclear reactor safety, in an earlier era. He had no special training in climate science. The American Physical Society from which he resigned is only tangentially related to climate research.

3. In 1990, Hal Lewis wrote Technological Risk in which he affirmed global warming by saying, "all models agree that the net effect of increasing greenhouse gases will be a general and global warming of the earth; they only disagree about how much. None suggest that it will be a minor effect, to be ignored while we go about our business. Reducing the effects, including significant sea level rise, would require global cooperation and sacrifice now, to avert something far in the future, and a conjectural something at that. There is no evidence in human history that is in the cards, but one can always hope."

4. The main critique in his letter of resignation is that science has been corrupted by the "trillions of dollars" driving the "global warming scam." This is a bizarre accusation akin to seeing The Sierra Club as the giant, Goliath, and Exxon as diminutive David. Following the money in the global warming debate leads you to the climate change deniers and the fossil fuel industry, not to climate science researchers.

6. The only evidence to support his claim of global warming as a scam is the work of Andrew Montford, whose book, The Hockey Stick Illusion: Climate Gate and the Corruption of Science, was described by critics as a favorite of the oil industry and the tabloids, but of little interest to climate scientists because of its inherent flaws.



Friday, February 10, 2017

The Problem of True Believers



A True Believer is someone who believes something to be true in spite of all evidence to the contrary.

True Believers embrace all evidence supporting their beliefs while ignoring all evidence inconsistent with their beliefs, branding them as lies or at least misinformation.

True Believers enjoy debating, discussing and arguing because it gives them a chance to present all their arguments in support of their beliefs. They never listen to those with whom they are arguing, however, both because they think they have nothing to learn from those who are wrong, and because they are afraid they may be misled by those who are evil.

True Believers are increasingly a problem in today's world. Extremists on both the left and right dominate political discussions today, rendering powerless those moderates who seek unity and common ground. 

Some would argue that those who believe in God, Jesus and the Bible are True Believers in this sense; indeed, some are, but not all. Many with strong beliefs are nonetheless open to change their mind when presented with new ideas and evidence because they are committed to learn and grow. Like the Apostle Paul, they believe in this life we “see through a glass darkly,” and will only see clearly in the life to come.

It isn’t a simple matter for True Believers to change their minds, but nothing is impossible with God. Here are some things to keep in mind when dealing with True Believers among your friends and within your family:

Be humble and gentle. People never change their mind because someone overpowers them, yelling louder than they do. Arguments which turn into shouting matches accomplish little other than straining relationships by making each side more defensive and more determined to win (or at least not to lose).

Be patient and persistent. Those whose beliefs are well-defended are often terrified by what might happen if they begin to think differently. It can take months or even years for people to find the courage to accept the validity of new ideas and evidence.

Be prayerful. Jesus said the Holy Spirit would lead us into all truth. Throughout history God has changed the hearts and minds of people, even those who have strongly resisted. Trust God to be at work in the lives of others and make sure you are open to God’s leading in your own life.