Opinion by Kip Hansen — 24 March 2023
[This is an Opinion piece – an OpEd – it is solely the opinion of the author, Kip Hansen, and does not necessarily represent the opinion of Anthony Watts, WUWT, or others associated with this website. In other words, they can sue me.]
The mass media has been abuzz the last few days with the news that the University of Helsinki is planning to confer a Honorary Doctorate to Greta Thunberg. “….the university says that 30 ‘distinguished individuals from around the world’ will become ‘new honorary doctors’ and be awarded the title of ‘doctor honoris causa’ which is called ‘the University’s highest recognition.’” [ source ] (“honoris causa” is Latin meaning “for the sake of honor”).
This award will place Ms. Greta Tintin Eleonora Ernman Thunberg on the same intellectual pedestal as Kermit the Frog. “In 1996, Southampton College at Long Island University (now a campus of Stony Brook University) awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Amphibious Letters to the Muppet, Kermit the Frog.” Appropriately, one of Greta’s given names is Tintin, who I think would have been proud to be linked to the more currently famous Kermit, however tenuously.
The University of Helsinki has the following faculties: Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry; Faculty of Arts; Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences; Faculty of Educational Sciences; Faculty of Law; Faculty of Medicine; Faculty of Pharmacy; Faculty of Science; Faculty of Social Sciences; Faculty of Veterinary Medicine; Swedish School of Social Science and the Faculty of Theology.
Their rationale for conferring an Honorary Doctorate is given as:
“Greta Thunberg is a Swedish opinion-maker and activist. The School Strike for Climate she staged outside the Swedish parliament building in autumn 2018 soon expanded into the global Fridays for Future movement, in which schoolchildren urge decision-makers to take climate action based on scientific evidence. [sic] The value of her uncompromising and consistent work for the future of our planet has been recognised with several major awards and prizes. Her actions have obliged all of us with the task, as members of communities and societies, but above all as human beings, of making changes to our everyday lives.” [ source ]
So, they are giving her a doctorate from which discipline? Biological and Environmental Sciences? Sciences? Social Sciences? No, none of those.
“The Faculty of Theology of the University of Helsinki will award an honorary doctorate to Greta Thunberg”.
And while the well-beloved Kermit received his honorary degree in “Amphibious Letters”, Greta Thunberg could be said to be the up-and-coming Saint of the world-wide climate cult that preaches “Climate Change: The End Is Nigh!” and threatens damnation on our grandchildren if we do not given up all of the benefits of modernity and return to the lifestyle and poverty of the Middle Ages. California is expected by some (well, at least me) to name a city in her honor, Santa Greta.
Of course, conferring a doctorate on Greta Thunberg from the Faculty of Theology is only fitting, after all, the entire climate change movement can correctly be characterized as a not-theological religion (a Godless religion) as was done in the Wall Street Journal Op-Ed “The Climate-Change Religion” and more seriously here in The New Atlantis.
It is easy to make fun of the overly-emotional-teenager aspects of Greta Thunberg and her various movements (school strike, U.N. speeches, etc.) and pointing out her incredible ignorance on the topic of Earth’s present and future climate is like shooting ducks in a barrel but there is no denying that she has been effective in popularizing her view, no matter how fantasy-based, on the climate issue. She has self-acknowledged issues: “diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, OCD and selective mutism” [ source ] which has given her a sympathy-vote edge as well. With the lot of help from others, and with the complicity of the main stream media, she has become a celebrity – which is why the University of Helsinki is honoring her.
“By choosing Greta as an honorary doctorate, we are communicating that we want to be as brave and influential as she is.” [ source ]
The “I Wanna Be Like You” rationale.
If the Climate Skeptical movement had such a spokesperson, such a front-man, it would be gaining a lot more ground in the public opinion arena.
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Author’s Comment:
I am a religious person – I studied religion in Uni, I have practiced my religion all of my life, and served as a humanitarian missionary for my Church.
I am offended by the Faculty of Theology of the University of Helsinki conferring a Doctorate to anyone simply based on secular popularity. I would feel the same way about conferring a PhD in Science to a politician – simply because he or she is famous and powerful.
As for Greta, I too did a lot of foolish things as a child, as a teenager, and during my college-age years. Maybe Greta will come around to be something, to be someone, and not just a propaganda tool or an income source for her parents. The danger, for her personally, is that she will refuse to change her tune – possibly being afraid that she’ll lose her place on the pedestal, even if or when she realizes how wrong she was. Patrick Moore similarly faced the same dilemma when he left Greenpeace but successfully managed to navigate the treacherous waters of growing up. I wish Greta all my best in making that difficult transition.
Thanks for reading.
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Isn’t Al Gore a theologian?
No, he’s a ………don’t want to fall foul of the moderator but ( very wealthy and 100% hypocritic-AL) prolific emitter of bovine organic material ripe for recycling might suffice..
AlGore managed to flunk out of Divinity School. He has a degree in “my daddy’s a Senator” that is probably as rigorous as what Gina McCarthy has.
BS in English from Hah-vid- just like Bill McKibben
Al Gore took two elementary science courses in college and got a C and a D. for his grades.
Gore’s transcript documents that during his sophomore year at Harvard he earned a “D” in Natural Sciences 6 (Man’s Place in Nature). Also, as a senior at Harvard, he earned a C-plus in Natural Sciences 118.
His distinguished academic credentials include a baccalaureate in his native language, tried law school, didn’t graduate, tried divinity school, didn’t graduate, Finally decided to embrace his birthright as a congressman and senator.
I think he’s become a marine scientist- as we know, he recently pontificated that the oceans are boiling.
Ah, a marine culinary scientist!
Oh, yeah. Pre-cooked fresh catch! I like it.
It was inevitable that the oceans would boil because the earth’s core is millions of degrees according to Al Gore.
Oh, yuh- he did say that, I vaguely recall. He’s not helping his cause by talking like an idiot. I guess he’s still too lazy to do his homework.
How else could he talk? Really
Curious ==. well, he really really believes in himself….
Probably as close as his lofty ambitions have taken him to Heaven was when he became an advocate for the Triana satellite, which NASA was considering. His rationale was that it would be valuable for teaching young students about Earth and its weather and climate.
I did a back-of-envelope calculation to see just how engaging such an imaging satellite would be for teaching about weather. Assuming a frontal system moving across the US at about 30 MPH, during a 50-minute class period, the image on a classroom monitor would move about 1 pixel (assuming a 640×480 monitor resolution, which was about state of the art at the time). The students would undoubtedly find that about as interesting as watching grass grow. I suspect that given a choice, they would rather be outside lying on the grass, watching the clouds overhead.
This speaks volumes about the mental capacity necessary to “invent the internet.”
Isn’t Trump (according to himself) a “stable genius?”
Entrepreneurial type with his finger on the pulse of the latest trends. So naturally he’s right into contextualisation here wrt Hilary Joe and Kamela. Entrepreneurial types would love to get hold of his laptop but alas.
Hahaha you still believed Russia colluuuusion…when is Obiden going to bring the world peace instead of his proxy war?
The dolt has managed to bring China and Russia….wth
Russia collusion. Hmmmm let’s see….
The Mueller investigation concluded that the Trump campaign knew about Russian interference in the election, that they welcomed that interference, and that they used it for their benefit.
The report detailed at least 140 points of contact between Trump and 18 of his associates with various Russian nationals. Mueller also identified 10 instances in which Trump actively tried to obstruct justice in order to keep investigators from learning more about his and others’ contacts with Russians.
Among other things that came out of that investigation:
Paul Manafort either admitted guilt or was convicted of: illegal foreign lobbying on behalf of pro-Russian Ukrainian politicians (Manafort had, in fact, been working illegally as an unregistered agent for pro-Russian interests since 2006), money laundering, tax fraud, lying to investigators, and lying under oath before a grand jury concerning his contact with a Russian associate during the 2016 campaign.
Rick Gates pled guilty to one count of conspiracy against the United States, as well as one count of making false statements to the FBI and to the Special Counsel about his status as a foreign agent for Ukraine (he was working together with Manafort on behalf of pro-Russian politicians).
George Papadopoulos was convicted of lying to investigators about his contacts with two Russian nationals and a professor connected to Russia. Papadopoulos lied about having discussions with them regarding the dirt the Russians claimed to have on Hillary Clinton, as well as about Papadopoulos’s attempts to plan a Trump campaign trip to Russia.
Richard Pinedo was convicted of selling bank account numbers to Russians who engaged in election interference.
Roger Stone was convicted of five counts of lying to Congress on matters related to the Trump campaign’s potential ties to Russia and the records he had of them, as well as one count of witness tampering, and one count of obstruction of a proceeding- all related to Russian election interference.
Michael Flynn pled guilty to lying to the FBI about his connections to the Russian ambassador.
Sam Patten (Republican lobbyist) pled guilty to failing to register as a foreign agent for various pro-Russia Ukrainian political parties. This included Patten helping Ukrainian oligarchs illegally spend $50,000 in tickets to Trump’s January 2017 inauguration in violation of federal laws that ban inauguration funds from accepting money from foreign entities.
13 Russian nationals, 12 Russian intelligence officers, and 3 Russian companies were also all indicted for their roles in trying to influence the 2016 election.
Those are all facts established in court or by the felon’s own admission.
In other words, your idea that the Trump campaign’s connections to Russia is some kind of false narrative is a complete mischaracterization of what Mueller actually found.
So your turn DDDDDEEEERGGGGGG.
Man you still are dumb
So… either you can’t read, or that is the best comeback you have. I’m guessing you tossed up between Meatball and Sanctimonious, but they were taken so you defaulted to your tried and tested “dumb.”
Either way I’m laughing…. and not with you.
Dude you really are stupid
Ok so here is your chance. What of any of my post above is not true? If you can’t refute any of it that means…..
It means you really are………
You really are dumb
Trump never colluded with anyone in his life — he is a one man band type of leader
I immediately said that in my blog when the Russian collusion myth first began and guessed that someone in Hillary Clintoons camp dreamed it up.
It was invented to take attention away from Democrat Party emails stolen and released by a DNC pro-Bernie Sanders employee showing how the Democrat National Committe was trying to sabotage Bernie Sanders to support Shrillary.
Rather than wasting my time refuting your extremely biased lies, Simon, let me just say that you are a useful fool for the Dumbocrat Party. Mentally defective and hopelessly biased.
Dumb as a rock
Have a nice day.
This ^
I would go a little further in that established Republicans did not like Trump because he didn’t make money for the party. Similar to how Dems did not want Bernie…although Bernie was an imp.
And all the 3 letter agencies did not want Trump because they was afraid they would get fired.
So not a single fact I stated challenged…. thanks.
You are still stupid and have no facts…Colluuuusion indeed.
OK so Richard Greene thinks writing words means something just coz they are words. Everything I wrote is factually correct but you can’t challenge any of it. Thanks
And “Trump never colluded with anyone in his life — he is a one man band type of leader”
Seems he colluded with his lawyer to pay off the porn star he screwed while his wife was home with the newborn. And he seem to have colluded with his accountant to cheat on his taxes. Oh and he must have colluded with some top people in Georgia when he tried to steal the election there.
Failure to note that fantasy was a product of the Hillary Clinton campaign makes anything else you say irrelevant.
Doesn’t change any of what Trump and his team did. Can you refute any of what I wrote?
All Mueller found was tax issues, and tax law is obscure enough anyone can be charged anytime. My point was that the Steele Dossier was crude oppo research, claiming to have sources that did not exist or were not in contact with Steele.
”Russian collusion” was the Democrats version of Pizzagate.
So I’ll take it you can’t refute any of the above either?
Nothing Mueller found proves the Russiagate thesis. A lot of technical violations, but the basic thesis is a stinking pile of Hillary Clinton BS.
Nobody can because it’s stupid.
It’s fact. I know you struggle with it, but give it a try. Tell me where I’m wrong?
Dude, you are dumb.
Simon,
Allow me to help you out with some definitive truths about the corrupt Mueller investigation.
More Mueller corruption!
https://www.marketforum.com/forum/topic/59031/
At Least 27 Phones from Special Counsel’s Office Were Wiped before DOJ Inspector General Could Review Them
https://www.nationalreview.com/news/at-least-27-phones-from-special-counsels-office-were-wiped-before-doj-inspector-general-could-review-them/
FISA report: DOJ watchdog releases findings on Russia probe surveillance
https://www.marketforum.com/forum/topic/44076/
IG testimony today
https://www.marketforum.com/forum/topic/44129/
Alan Dershowitz: Stone indictment follows concerning Mueller pattern
https://thehill.com/opinion/judiciary/427020-alan-dershowitz-stone-indictment-follows-concerning-mueller-pattern …
This is exactly like what Mueller did for 3 years!
More Mueller corruption!
https://www.marketforum.com/forum/topic/59031/
Michael Flynn:
https://www.marketforum.com/forum/topic/61735/#61805
https://www.marketforum.com/forum/topic/60589/#60599
Reviewing Muellers corruption with facts:
https://www.marketforum.com/forum/topic/55925/#55961
Yawn….. Market forum. Impressive.
It’s because you are dumb.
Al Gore is a dork
Classy comment.Have you taken lessons from DDDEEERRRGGG?
No, everyone on this site knows you are not bright.
She is a classic prophet of doom. The climate alamists are basically a Doomsday cult and she is a priestess.
Much worse she will now be allowed to sit on Peer Review Panels and censor the truth that discredits her Cult
She looks like she’s transitioning into Jeremiah Johnson.
Well, climastrology has all the elements of religion. One cannot dispute the fundamental thesis that any change in climate is bad, by definition.
Doing a cost/benefits analysis would be heresy, as there can be no possible benefits, by their standards.
And the fossil fuel industry is the Devil. One can get by with no sacred element, but needs something to reject.
The fossil fuel industry is complicit in the nonsense because they stay silent about it or pretend to go along with it. When will they wake up?
The 1930’s should have taught that appeasement is a losing stategy.
What is really funny is these folks think they are serious. They do not recognize how ridiculous they actually are. Great mockery, Kip.
Rud ==> I tied to be moderate in my mock-inization….Greta is just a kid. But the folks at the the University of Helsinki are supposed to be the adults…but they are acting like star-struck teenagers.
Once again, Greta is but a pawn in the power struggle and these ‘academics’ are using her for their own purposes.
To: The University of Helsinki
I herewith respectfully ask you for NOT considering my name anywhere in the future for the award of a Honoris Causa degree. In my humble and very honest opinion, I do not deserve such highest among the titles granted by your university. And, allow me to add, the simple fact that you consider according it to Ms Thunberg induces me to think it a dis-honorary title.
Sincerely,
JM
JM ==> Besides how can you expected to live up to the standards of Kerrmit and TinTin?
Well, as Kermit is known as saying, “It’s tough being Green”.
Paul S==> Diana Ross – “It Ain’t Easy Being Green” or Lena Horne
Kip ==> How about this for an honorary degree?
https://youtu.be/uCOxU2rKLas
LOL!
A PhD in Thinkology is way better than Theology!
Would that be Rin Tin Tin?
It’s really simple – nothing more than a cheap blatant and desperate attempt to drum up business by university that’s finding itself increasingly irrelevant and unwanted.
Headline 1: Disturbing’ rise in unconditional university offers: Institutions are accused of chasing students
Headline 2: How did the University of East Anglia end up facing a £30m deficit
The kids have realised that if the teachers can’t leave the kids alone (away from Dark Sarcasm in the Classroom) – the kids have decided not to go anywhere near the teachers.
That ‘A University’ is so thick as to pull such a stunt on Greta (the very one who organised the whole ‘stay away from teachers’ meme) goes to demonstrate what a complete dump said University is and how much trouble the rest of us are actually in.
General commentary on the value of degrees from famous universities in 2023:
IF artificial intelligence is going to be important soon,
THEN is education important for profit and loss?
I understand that intelligence and wisdom are different quantities and that the “if” is not certain.
It seems like human thought might provide a quaint undersampling check-step to superior planning during GTs lifetime – trust but verify the probably superior authoritarian answer.
“The University of Helsinki has the following faculties: Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry”
Finland’s biggest industry is or used to be forestry. But, the climate whack jobs hate forestry- thanks to a new fantasy called “profrestation” invented by professor William Moomaw (Tufts) whereby the best way to REDUCE carbon in the atmosphere is to let all the forests grow old- a truly stupid idea for countless reasons.
So, that university is working against the interests of its own nation. I bet the forestry folks in that nation aren’t happy about Dr. Greta.
IF the university truly intended to enhance their own image by associating themselves with Greta Thunderpants then they are more in need of insight than Greta. An entire academic institution full of supposed scholars thinks that the individual on the street corner with a sign saying “the end is nigh” is a good representative of academic thought and achievement?
“I am offended by the Faculty of Theology of the University of Helsinki conferring a Doctorate to anyone simply based on secular popularity.”
Probably seeking fame around the world- so more students will want to go there- raising demand so they can raise their fees.
Joseph ==> From the public statements of the University, it is true that they sought Greta to polish their own images with the world.
Public or private tuition? EU tuition works differently than USA tuition.
Not sure- I’ve been out of college exactly 50 year and 3 months so I have no clue. I think tuition in American colleges works in many mysterious ways- all too expensive. For me, it was just hundreds per semester at the U. of Massachusetts. Now it’s more like $10,000/semester and that’s considered dirt cheap in America!
Ja. I saw it coming.
https://breadonthewater.co.za/2022/06/27/the-green-religion/
Mind you. I do not exclude the possibility of the next anti-christ being female. Read the last chapter of my book.
Henry ==> Thanks for the link to your web site.
Interesting point … and there may be more than one. I’m convinced Mrs. Clinton is the first.
There is the Devil ye know and the Devil ye don’t know.
Look up Credit Suisse, that great bank of the recent past, Executive Officer :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pips_Bunce.
Book Epilogue suggestion.
Who could have imagined this 10 years ago?
rah ==> Universities have been passing out honorary degrees for a long time…to anyone they have thought might shine a positive light on themselves….
after some of the nobel awards its no surprise
It would be interesting to know what the faculty of science, likely the only one with people who actually understand some aspects of the real world, thinks of this move by the theologians.
Yes, that was my thought. I expect very few, or none, of the real faculty had any say in the choices made.
It was probably the university administrators that came up with the idea to polish their image, and told the theology department that they would have the ‘honor’ of conferring the award.
Clyde ==> If I was able to read Finnish, I might have more to say about that. This link is machine translated and some of it remains mysterious. But it seems that a Faculty of Theology committee choose Greta and that they then had a hard time contacting her to see if she would accept…whether or not she will appear at their ceremony is still in question, at least in my mind.
A tale of God, gods and goddesses, mortal gods and goddesses, and experts.
Ahem.
“With the lot of help from others … she has become a celebrity”
Let her moment pass. I read the last paragraph about growing out of it – lets facilitate her hopeful transition with silence.
Giving Greta a doctorate has inspired me to make new podcast- I wasn’t sure what the topic should be. So, I just did my 5th called “the phony climate emergency” whereby I wanted to keep it simple- I’m not qualified to debate the subject but I was able to mention some of the internet sites I like- starting with this one of course, then I mentioned some YouTube sites I like including Tony Heller, The Climate Discussion Nexus, and Jordon Peterson’s YouTube channel- I mentioned several climate skeptics (real climate scientists) he’s interviewed in the past year along with Alex Epstein.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsvrADdwiIU
if you watch it be sure to watch it in HD- if it comes up blurry in a low res- it should be 1920×1080 on a large screen- it may start blurry then clear up depending on your “device”
that’s my 5th podcast- all in the past few weeks- to make them I use a free program called OBS- if anyone wants to do podcasting, that’s a great program and you can download it for free- just google it! Also, on my channel I have 3 logging videos and a few weird videos I made using a 360 degree camera- I’ve made hundreds of other videos and I had many more on Vimeo but I don’t care to pay their fee
Most of the world’s scientists have silently abandoned the Catastrophic Climate Lie cabal. Nobody in his right senses believes in an end-of-the-world scenario. The extremism in the claim has forced scientists in droves out of the ‘consensus’, which today is just a made-up thing.
Having lost the scientists, the globalist cabal created a religion that includes a goddess, brainwashed self-flagellating face-gluing followers, sacrifices, eco-effigies, and carbon indulgencies and inquisition. It’s all there.
Repent, The end is nigh
And the “ conditions” she is “diagnosed “ with might better be described as “ spoiled indulged Brat Maximus”
I think we can all agree Greta well deserves a degree in theology
And I thought ‘consensus’ was a bad thing ….
More proof that climate alarmism is a secular religion.
God is dead.
“God is dead.”
Time to invent yet another (hopefully better than the last one ) ??
Kermit has every right to be annoyed. He gave the children of the world a sense of hope and reasons to feel good about themselves and the future. Greta has done the exact opposite.
Arafat was given the Peace Prize so this is right in line with this prize for her.
Barry O’Bama got the Nobel Peace Prize and then serial-bombed.
Dr. Thunberg now qualifies for King Charles’ Scientific Advisory Board.
After all, the King’s Dad, Philip, founded the Alliance of Religion and Conservation.
It’s actually pretty cool, albeit inadvertently. U of H just told the rest of the world that the climate discussion is a theological one. Our side needs to accept the win. Cheers –
“I am a religious person – I studied religion in Uni, I have practiced my religion all of my life, and served as a humanitarian missionary for my Church.
I am offended by the Faculty of Theology of the University of Helsinki conferring a Doctorate to anyone simply based on secular popularity.”
I have a degree in Theology (a small one from a College that no longer exist) but I never cared about that. The degree was incidental to my wanting to know God and His Word.
Sounds like the Faculty of Theology of the University of Helsinki are deep into the Book of Jude.
PS Kip, I know you and I would disagree on some verses but we still have the same Lord.
(And it doesn’t appear to be Greta’s!)
Gunga ==> I had quite a time reading at the Faculty of Theology website….couldn’t quite find what they were about — but being a theologian in today’s world is not necessarily to be religious in the sense you and I would think of it.
Boy, she really gets you guys going. A little girl. Take a look at yourselves.
Take a look at yourself.
Do you believe anything she says?
Why do you support anything she says?
She’s a HS dropout, despite any “conferred” degree!
Greta has “Settled the Science”?!?!
In other words, you have no problem with a HS dropout being awarded an honorary academic degree that is less about any tangible contribution she has made to society than it is about using her to promote their university and furthering a scientific hypothesis that is poorly supported. What does that say about you?
Personally, what gets me ‘going’ is that men who should know better are acting irresponsibly and unethically to advance their personal agendas by taking advantage of a naive young woman who doesn’t know better. The only thing that would be worse is if the meaningless ‘award’ were coming from a philosophy department instead of a theology department.
Some really can’t hit a nail even if it is starring you in your face.
Nail ==> Yes — “A little girl” — that was my major conclusion, you should read the piece…
We are laughing at the University, not poor Greta.
Honorary is a synonym for Imaginary.
I really fear for Greta, in future. Doubt a psychologically secure and happy life can evolve from the place she’s at today; and I hope she survives.