Hmmm, sounds like a bad “B” movie plot. From Pierre Gosselin at No Tricks Zone:
(…) Any fan of Hollywood films following the climate debate knows the objectives of mad scientists: They try to rule the world. With his performance in the FAZ in the run-up to the recent UN-Summit on Sustainability in Rio, Prof. Dr. Hans-Joachim Schellnhuber can be ranked along with the likes of Dr. Strangelove and Dr. No:
“The role of climate science remains to put the problem-facts on the table and to identify options for appropriate solutions. The role of politics is then to mobilize the will of the citizens with the aim of implementing decisions that are based on science.”
This demonstrates an odd understanding of democracy. Up to now the “will of the citizens” has always arose from the interests of people and were implemented by electing a goverment that abided to that will. But Schellnhuber wants to turn this on its head. According to Schellnhuber, politics should now tell the citizens what interests they are to have so that measures that follow those prescribed by science will end up getting implemented.
Read more at No Tricks Zone
h/t to reader Rudolf Kipp
He needs to wear a monocle and should be stroking a white Persian cat.
The role of climate science remains to study climate and understand it as much as possible. That, and nothing else.
I have no idea what problem-facts are, and I reckon no one else has. Much less how to put them on the table.
Of course there are problems. Of many different kind. From this huge set climate scientists have to choose scientific problems in their particular field and solve them whenever they are able to. At the same time they should leave all the rest alone. Those are for other people to deal with.
The same goes for facts. It is only a tiny subset which should concern climate scientists, namely facts related to climate states and state transitions.
I don’t think it is sufficient for a scientist to identify options for appropriate solutions to scientific problems inside his field. He should go for solving the problems themselves instead. And again, leave all other problems alone.
The role of politicians is to serve articulated interests of citizens who have elected them. In this quest, a politician seeking scientific advice in a practical problem, should hire engineers. If no trained engineer can be found in a field, the science is not ready yet. It is as simple as that.
There should be no direct connection between scientists and politicians.
“The prospect of domination of the nation’s scholars by Federal employment, project allocations, and the power of money is ever present – and is gravely to be regarded.
Yet, in holding scientific research and discovery in respect, as we should, we must also be alert to the equal and opposite danger that public policy could itself become the captive of a scientific-technological elite”. Dwight D. Eisenhower, Farewell Address to the Nation January 17, 1961
Germany has always had a strong Community first, collective impulse cultivated via education going back to Johann Fichte’s work in the 19th century. Deemphasizing the individual as they did and are means there are few ready to stand up to the herd instinct. No matter how bad the idea.
That communitarian/the amorphous common good is your primary obligation completely dominates the new kind of thinking and values curriculum coming into place in the US under the auspices of the Common Core national standards and a Positive School Climate mandate.
I wrote about this Gaia first education and economics being pushed all over the Western world here:http://www.invisibleserfscollar.com/rigor-relevance-and-relationships-the-new-3rs-to-get-to-a-caring-economics/
The relevant criteria in the title gets met by pushing students to be discussing and modelling possible solutions for all of humanity’s problems. School will thus be priming children to become just the kind of citizens that expect to be directed. And who look to the state and holders of the appropriate credentials for solutions.
All the mentions of education for citizenship should have a subtitle: Education for servitude.
Sounds like an Obama campaign slogan just waiting for make-up and a 10 second sound bite. Welcome to the post-modern Republic.
err have I missed something here? seems our ‘beloved’ Julia Gillard PM and her Green Manure offshoots tell the people what they need…. in Australia there seems to no longer be said – “will of the citizens” has always arose from the interests of people and were implemented by electing a goverment that abided to that will.
Arm extended – palm down, we shall all sing Science uber alles…. been here before it seems, didn’t the guy have a little moustach? Sheesh!!!!!
Ivory tower mentality, I see it everyday at my university, especially from those who have never held a job in the private sector.
I can see a modern Krystallnacht on the horizon.
Creepy academic.
Funny I thought we elected people so they could provide garbage collection, fire services, schools etc. Somewhere along the line they now have these grandiose ideas.
I hate to fall back on stereotypes, but it seems a German would at least sense the irony of such a position.
Just checked the mad Prof’s CV and as I suspected he’s been an academic all his life. How can he possibly be advising anyone in a world that he has no real experience of?
REPLY: Well, we have a U.S. president who’s never held a private sector job, so what’s your point? /sarc – Anthony
Yep it’s called leadership. Generally this is thought to be a good thing.
Leadership means:
Roosevelt says Americans should get off their lazy asses to fight the Nazis.
Kennedy says Americans should go to the moon.
Al Gore says Americans should pay money to build an Internet.
Bush says kick the Iraqis out of Kuwait.
Americans go whine whine.
That’s why the USA is a republic and NOT a democracy. The fathers of the US constitution figured all this out a long time ago. Why can’t you guys?
The image of the distinguished professor towering over and resting a “benevolent” hand on a globe says it all. It reminds me of the famous scene from Charlie Chaplin’s The Great Dictator.
http://tinyurl.com/cqyfxsf
[snip. Labeling others deniers is not allowed here. Read the site Policy. ~dbs, mod.]
I should have added that “rigor” means open-ended, non-linear problem solving where there is no fixed solution so students are being primed to believe that everything interconnected and they are part of Nature embedded in the subsystem of the economy embedded in the culture and the environment. This systems thinking permeates all of education so no one really feels autonomous anymore.
These kids are being primed to believe anything can be solved with sufficient dialogue to reach a consensus. Then you look to state to mandate.
“The role of climate science remains to put the problem-facts on the table and to identify options for appropriate solutions. The role of politics is then to mobilize the will of the citizens with the aim of implementing decisions that are based on science.”
—
I find this is not too different from what NASA GISS director Jim “Let’s put heads of fossil fuel companies on trial for crimes against humanity and nature” Hansen has said…
“The problem is not political will, it’s the alligator shoes – the lobbyists. It’s the fact that money talks in Washington, and that democracy is not working the way it’s intended to work.”
Jim Hansen, 2008
Well, he’s come a long way from playing the banjo in Deliverance.
But seriously, this is the kind of mentality that suggests we all get on board the train….
Lazy Teenager says:
“Roosevelt says Americans should get off their lazy asses to fight the Nazis.”
Clueless One: FDR constantly pestered U.S. citizens to go after Germany, but the American people were smarter than that. But when Germany unilaterally declared war on the United States on December 11, 1941, Americans responded – not to FDR, but to Germany.
And we’re supposed to listen to you as a font of knowledge??
It looks like more and more of us are having our lives run by people who have no experience of life outside of the public sector (bureacrats, academics, career politicians and other civil servants).
I’m sick of hearing nothing but bad news.
It comes from all quarters, non-stop everyday.
It used to be, the free world set the tone, instead of wallowing in their grief while waiting for government to assuage all ills.
Rant/
” Die Rolle der Politik ist es dann, den Bürgerwillen zu mobilisieren, um wissensbasierte Entscheidungen umzusetzen. Wir Forscher erfüllen gewissermaßen die Aufgabe planetarischer Ratingagenturen – nicht sehr beliebt, aber verdammt notwendig”
Read something like this in the 1946 International Military Tribunal transcripts, only more thoughtfully expressed.
Look, it’s been tried a few times, at least twice and now maybe three times; but for Germany to rule the world AND be taken seriously they must abandon the language. Imagine the monty python lot frog marched into a hall to hear a speech on strict orders that no laughing or signs of mirth shall be expressed on pain of death. Read this and keep a straight face: The great orator stands up under the stage light
“….Ein Dunkopf Wurst Phart Mein Schmeagol Speiller Luft kreigs meschenkreig…….dadyadayada”
‘Scuse my German. Seriously though, it’s why i’ve involved my miniscule intelect in WUWT issues because it is not lost on me the gravity of the implications of the proponents of AGW putting a stranglehold on Western Commerce. It really is a bit like 1938 or 39……..AGAIN!!!!!! The motive for their delusion is not hard to see. We’ve been here before. Fortuantely, no one on their side has presented who has any gravitas. The AGW are using the Silent invasion of the sovereign nations by the EU’s authority creep. Who’d have though sovereignty would be given up so easily.
The EU model of authority creep.
Smokey says:
July 15, 2012 at 4:24 pm
Lazy Teenager says:
“Roosevelt says Americans should get off their lazy asses to fight the Nazis.”
Clueless One: FDR constantly pestered U.S. citizens to go after Germany, but the American people were smarter than that. But when Germany unilaterally declared war on the United States on December 11, 1941, Americans responded – not to FDR, but to Germany.
And we’re supposed to listen to you as a font of knowledge??
=====================
There is a lot more to that story.
Which caused Churchill to say:
“You can always count on Americans to do the right thing – after they’ve tried everything else.”
Winston Churchill
—–
He was VERY worried they wouldn’t.
I still believe that the theory of AGW, taken to it’s logical conclusion is that: given that CO2 will kill us all if production of it increases, coupled to the reality that China is opening a coal fired plant per week with no intention of slowing down–we therefore start bombing China tomorrow at 9:30AM ish. This theory will lead to armed conflict with China. Thank goodness AGW is BS.
beesaman says:
July 15, 2012 at 4:25 pm
Seconded. Every bloody day.