TUCSON, Ariz., Aug. 28, 2013 — /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Climatism or global warming alarmism is the most prominent recent example of science being coopted to serve a political agenda, writes Richard Lindzen of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the in the fall 2013 issue of the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons. He compares it to past examples: Lysenkoism in the Soviet Union, and the eugenics movement.
Lindzen describes the Iron Triangle and the Iron Rice Bowl, in which ambiguous statements by scientists are translated into alarmist statements by media and advocacy groups, influencing politicians to feed more money to the acquiescent scientists.
In consequence, he writes, “A profound dumbing down of the discussion…interacts with the ascendancy of incompetents.” Prizes and accolades are awarded for politically correct statements, even if they defy logic. “Unfortunately, this also often induces better scientists to join the pack in order to preserve their status,” Lindzen adds.
Lindzen discusses key aspects of the global warming models, including their dependence on the “globally averaged mean temperature anomaly”—that is the average of the differences between the average temperature for the year at each weather station and the 1961-1990 average for that station. This metric is used to create an influential graph that resembles the daily chart of stock indices, but is of dubious significance. The change in the anomaly is tiny against the perspective of the temperature variations we experience daily, Lindzen demonstrates.
In normal science, models are judged by how well they agree with nature, Lindzen explains. In the climate “debate,” however, the models are given a claim to validity independent of agreement with real observations.
The highly oversimplified terms of the discussion in the policy arena “largely exclude the most interesting examples of historical climate change. The heavy intellectual price of the politicization of science is rarely addressed,” writes Lindzen.
Lindzen writes: “Global climate alarmism has been costly to society, and it has the potential to be vastly more costly. It has also been damaging to science, as scientists adjust both data and even theory to accommodate politically correct positions. How can one escape from the Iron Triangle when it produces flawed science that is immensely influential and is forcing catastrophic public policy?”
Escape from climate alarmism will be more difficult than from Lysenkoism, in Lindzen’s view, because Global Warming has become a religion. It has a global constituency and has coopted almost all institutional science. Nevertheless, he believes “the cracks in the scientific claims for catastrophic warming are…becoming much harder for the supporters to defend.”
The Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons is published by the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) is a national organization representing physicians in all specialties, founded in 1943.
SOURCE Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) www.aapsonline.org
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/climate-science-exploited-for-political-agenda-according-to-journal-of-american-physicians-and-surgeons-221474241.html
…and surprisingly, published in the mostly liberal Sacramento Bee:
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/28/5687619/climate-science-exploited-for.html
h/t to Marc Marano of Climate Depot
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Good on you Dick……
I hope folks listen to their doctor. Unfortunately, too many don’t.
The URL for the Sacramento Bee article is correct, but clicking on the link doesn’t take one there; the URL is truncated for some reason.
Once people get the idea that it’s ok to say that the emperor has no clothes, then there’s only one way this will end.
“example of science being coopted to serve a political agenda” should read “example of science being corrupted to serve a political agenda”.
Now this more like it. At last preaching to many of the unconverted.
go to climate depot for the link
I thought it strange that he would publish in a Medical journal, until I realized it was probably the only one that was amicable to him publishing. Money wasted on the AGW scare is less money spent on medicine, which they are very concerned about.
Wow!
Prizes and accolades are awarded for politically correct statements, even if they defy logic.
and when the speakers defy law.
Thank You, Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons.
Holy cow! Look at the Table of Contents:
http://www.jpands.org/jpands1803.htm
From the President: Dialectic of Deceit,
– Juliette Madrigal-Dersch, M.D
Industry Consolidation: the Smoking Gun of “Crony Capitalism”
– G. Keith Smith, M.D.
The Fix That No One Dares Mention
– Craig J. Cantoni
Book Reviews:
. The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves (Matt Ridley)
– Reviewed by Jerome C. Arnett, Jr., M.D.
. No, They Can’t: Why Government Fails – But Individuals Succeed (John Stossel)
– Reviewed by Jerome C. Arnett, Jr., M.D.
Is this a Howard Beale moment?
Hey I have a question…why is Richard Lindzen…an atmospheric scientist…publishing in the Journal of Physicians and Surgeons? Why is that journal accepting an article on a completely unrelated issue??
Reblogged this on This Got My Attention and commented:
Another group speaks out against the politicization of science.
Dudley, the original statement is perfectly acceptable and I believe what he intended. Of course corrupted is implied but he is saying that it is being hijacked (coopted) by the activists and politically correct scientists.
It has been obvious for years, but these global warmers find personal fulfillment in shrilling their alarms and they will never be able to see that their dubious science is an ideological contrivance. They will never die, but they will fade away as the present flat temperature trend continues through this century.
@Matthew Souders 7:10 am
Why is that journal accepting an article on a completely unrelated issue??
The Politicization of Science should be a concern of every profession and voter.
“A profound dumbing down of the discussion…interacts with the ascendancy of incompetents.”
Pretty much defines our education system, media, and commonly political inept. Eyes wide shut club.
It has been very obvious to me for quite a while that climate science is now a 100% political enterprise. Nothing gets published unless it conforms to the political aims of the movement. Just look at the abstracts of most papers publish in “professional” climate science journals…
I hope Lindzen is wrong about CAGW taking longer than Lyshenkoism to disappear but I think he’s right. This CAGW stuff is currently being drilled into children’s brains. He’s right on it being a religion now.
The change in temperature is significant because the planet is big enough. I guess eating an extra grain of sugar could have a significant effect on your blood sugar level if it was averaged over a sufficiently large population. Averaging over a large population or region is a way to lower the uncertainty. After that, you have to look if the effect is significant locally or on a single individual. In reality, the difference between the warmest and coolest temperature of the day/week/month/year all seems to be going down. The UHI might explain it, but maybe the climate is really getting better.
“Climatism or global warming alarmism is the most prominent recent example of science being coopted to serve a political agenda, writes Richard Lindzen of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the in the fall 2013 issue of the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons. He compares it to past examples: Lysenkoism in the Soviet Union, and the eugenics movement.”
It is not only science and academia that is vulnerable. I have found that the AGW/anti-fossil fuel movement has methodically infiltrated as many social groups as it can through the the top-down, highly funded approach to publicity called “manipulative populism,” and I think we would all do well to familiarize ourselves with this term:
Whether it is churches, or dietary fads, or hobby groups, or even alternative science, I have had a growing concern about all genuine, grassroots movements. I have been alarmed at how many have become co-opted into “global initiatives,” political and economic goals, and flattery and funding by fancy players behind the scenes. It really amounts to focus groups and audience targeting by NGOs, who do not care if it takes crystal skulls and aliens, or churches, as long as the goals of political governance and behavior modification are advanced.
I think that it would not be a bad idea for Anthony to consider sponsoring an annual Lysenko prize competition. it might help “raise awareness” (to use a revolting phrase) of the poor scholarship that is the norm today amongst alarmists.
Matthew Souders says:
August 29, 2013 at 7:10 am
Hey I have a question…why is Richard Lindzen…an atmospheric scientist…publishing in the Journal of Physicians and Surgeons? Why is that journal accepting an article on a completely unrelated issue??
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Because thanks to Dr. Lewandowsky, D*nialism has now been declared a pathology thus medicalizing dissent. ‘Lewd’ behavior: The pathologising of climate scepticism
This is very dangerous because there is a history of the medical profession placing people they think are delusional, Believing 9/11 was an inside job for example, in psychiatric facilities.
It has certainly been used by the USSR to get rid of the dissidents.
A few selected posts:
Paging Dr. Stephan Lewandowsky – show your climate survey invitation RSVP’s
The OTHER problem with the Lewandowsky paper and similar ‘skeptic’ motivation analysis: Core premise off the rails about fossil fuel industry corruption accusation
So much happening in LewWorld, so little time. I’ve decided to simply aggregate all of the posts on Dr. Stephan Lewandowsky into one news item.
The Daily Lew
The Daily Lew – Issue 2
The Daily Lew – Issue 3
The Daily Lew – Issue 4
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/09/15/the-daily-lew-issue-5/
The Lewandowsky participation census, re-booted
Thanks for the good news, as truth emerges. The environmental movement appears to be a religion, as Michael Burleigh’s books on history make clear that often political movements have replaced Christianity during the 20th Century. Nazism, Fascism and Communism all are examples. It appears there is something inside most humans that requires a belief in something higher than self. Maybe it’s evidence of a soul?
First person that comes to mind is M. Mann.
Matthew Souder has two questions:
“Hey I have a question…why is Richard Lindzen…an atmospheric scientist…publishing in the Journal of Physicians and Surgeons? Why is that journal accepting an article on a completely unrelated issue??
I have one answer that covers both. Quackery is the enemy of the physician. The acceptance of quackery in one branch of science presents an existential threat to all science, including medicine.
Wow!