Gather round boys and girls, because I want to tell you a story. It is a tale of two fearsome warriors engaged in a battle for your ecological soul. The first was an esteemed expert in all matters climatological and psychological. For the purposes of the tale, I will call him Stephan Lewandowsky. The second … Continue reading
Author Archives: John Ridgway
Uncertainty – No one’s Friend and Everyone’s Bitch
Given that reliable calculations of risk and uncertainty are so central to the issue of climate change, I am struck by the diverse assessments of incertitude that climatologists, environmentalists, and climate activists are prepared to espouse under the broad aegis of climate alarmism. Firstly, we have the likes of Ben Santer. Here is someone … Continue reading
The Chains of Reasoning
If a dinner party is beginning to fizzle out, I always find it helpful to try one or two post-prandial parlour games. For example, you might want to try separating your guests into two groups. Each group is given a list of the same numbers and asked to estimate the list’s average. The only difference … Continue reading
Regrets, I’ve had a few, but then again…
I was doing a failure mode effects analysis on my past life the other day and I can tell you the results were not reassuring. They seemed to be suggesting that my curriculum vitae owed a lot to a faulty career choice in my formative years. Instead of plumping for the obvious attractions of an … Continue reading
The Confidence of Living in the Matrix
“Immaturity is the inability to use one’s own understanding without direction from another. This immaturity is self-incurred if its cause is not lack of understanding, but lack of resolve and courage to use it without another’s guidance.” — Immanuel Kant What do you believe gives you confidence in your confidence? For a lot of people, the … Continue reading
And Then There Are Physicists
Professor Lord Martin Rees thinks that runaway anthropogenic global warming poses one of the greatest existential threats currently facing mankind – and he should know, given that he is a co-founder of The Centre for the Study of Existential Risk. Furthermore, as a former President of the Royal Society, his scientific credentials and professional integrity … Continue reading
It’s Official: Scientists are Sexist Pigs
As a male, climate change sceptic with a physics background, I have three attributes that condemn me to the fate of a dyed-in-the-wool sexist – and the only one I can do anything about is my scepticism. Yes, if only I could see the light and accept the CAGW message, I would at least then … Continue reading
