Before I start, I must confess that I am no Sherlock Holmes. What is more, my understanding of virology extends no further than can be gleaned from having caught influenza more than once. Nevertheless, such experience alone should be sufficient to instil a healthy fear of what SARS-CoV-2 may do to an ailing and aging … Continue reading
One of the most prevalent arguments used against climate change scepticism is the presupposed lack of genuine expertise that lies behind expressions of doubt. On the one hand you have 97% of the world’s most sciency scientists, and on the other hand you have John Cook’s cartoon creation, Cranky Uncle, every family’s know-it-all proselytizer, wallowing … Continue reading
Evident: Adjective: clearly seen or understood; obvious. Late Middle English: from Old French, or from Latin evidens, evident- ‘obvious to the eye or mind’, from e- (variant of ex- ) ‘out’ + vident, past participle of videre ‘to see’. You may recall that not so long ago I recounted for you the history of the … Continue reading
Uncertainty as Knowledge Let’s say, for the sake of argument, that you wake up one morning with a burning desire to learn everything there is to know about uncertainty and its relationship to knowledge. And let’s say, for the sake of extending this rhetorical ploy, that you want to make sure that your desire … Continue reading
If there is something that the climate change debate is certainly not lacking it is ad hominin, for whilst it is universally disapproved of it is also ubiquitous to the point of being de rigueur. Take, for example, Peter Gleick’s recent critique of Michael Shellenberger’s latest book. Peter does not waste any time in accusing … Continue reading
I’ve got another question for you: What have the pioneers of quantum electrodynamics (QED) and quantum chromodynamics (QCD) to do with climate science? The answer is: Perhaps more than they should. In one case, the connection exists because the gentleman concerned, Freeman Dyson, chose to make public his sceptical views – largely to his personal … Continue reading
Here’s a little teaser for you: What do Doctors Frankenstein, Honeydew and Michael Mann all have in common? No, it isn’t that they are all Muppets – Dr Frankenstein wouldn’t fit that pattern. The real answer is that they all provide an important reminder that scientists are, after all, human, and therefore prone to human … Continue reading
Here’s a question for you to take your mind off COVID-19: Who is your favourite bear? Is it Paddington? Or maybe it’s Rupert. For many it is Yogi, who is, after all, smarter than the average. Personally, I always had a soft spot for Boo-Boo. But if my life depended upon it, I think I … Continue reading
Ever since I had learnt that I could drop the leading ‘e’ in the word ‘extreme’ and get away with it, I knew that I was one of society’s thrill seekers. It started in the workplace with ‘xtreme programming’ but it wasn’t long before I had taken my adrenalin addiction home with me and I … Continue reading
The current COVID-19 crisis has focused many people’s attention on the question of risk and how governments go about ensuring public safety. I have no epidemiological experience that enables me to comment knowledgably upon the UK government’s strategies, and if I did claim to have any I am sure there would be someone out … Continue reading
