Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Meanwhile, At Wikipedia...

...the Chief Inquisitor responsible for enforcing orthodoxy on the subject of Climate Change has been removed from his high position for abuse of his authority.

via Borepatch.

If the science is settled, why is a Chief Inquisitor needed, anyway?

7 comments:

wally said...

We'd all be better off if we listened to the scientists on both sides of this issue rather than the spinmeisters.

Bob said...

@wally: Oh, dear, it looks as if the Grand Inquisitor WAS a scientist of some sort. Imagine that.

wally said...

Here on planet earth, an engineer is not a scientist.

Bob said...

@wally: Here on planet earth, I think Walt is quibbling. Man has to have a B.S. in a hard science before you'll allow that he's a scientist? Oh, yes, I forgot: Joe the Plumber isn't a plumber because he doesn't have a plumber's license of his own in Ohio. Never mind that he does the work.

wally said...

Bob, he's a software engineer! That's not like being a scientist without a degree.

Here's a guy who has been caught spreading misinformation about climate change on Wikipedia. That's troubling enough. Why not leave it at that?

Bob said...

@wally: from the Wikipedia entry on Connolley, if it can be trusted:

Until December 2007 he was Senior Scientific Officer in the Physical Sciences Division in the Antarctic Climate and the Earth System project at the British Antarctic Survey, where he worked as a climate modeller. (bolds mine)

From the Real Climate website:

When I joined RC, I was a climate modeller with the British Antarctic Survey. Now I’m a software engineer for CSR. I’m still interested in communicating the science of climate change, but can no longer do so at a professional level.

He did field work in Antarctica in the field of climate change, and you're going to pretend he's a total layman because he didn't have the right sheepskin?

The main point I'm trying to make in this blog entry is that those people invested in the theory of climate change don't seem willing to just present the facts, they must tweak, massage and manipulate them to achieve the desired result, and the views of skeptics are at best disparaged and at worst not allowed a public airing.

If Connolley was just a stupid leftist kid in his mother's basement manipulating Wikipedia in this fashion it would be bad enough, but the man did professional scientific-level field work in just this subject, and still chose to manipulate the system.

I'm not asking you to forswear your allegiance to the climate change theory, for chrissake. All I'd like is an acknowledgement that this guy's actions hurt your cause and make it harder to convince the skeptical and turns more fence-sitters into skeptics.

wally said...

I believe I just acknowledged that this was a troubling incident, Bob. If you expect me to go running into the street screaming that the sky is falling, you're going to be disappointed. And I have not characterized him as either a total layman or a stupid leftist kid in his basement, regardless of your desire to tweak, massage or manipulate my words ;) A climate modeller is primarily a data programmer, despite his attempts to inflate his role. This is not just quibbling. Re-read my first comment, with emphasis on the word "scientists".

I think you may be misunderstanding my comments. I believe something unethical has occurred here, and I'm glad you brought it to our attention. But with you, there's always the unspoken conclusion that every incident like this is incontrovertible proof that the entire field of climate science is a nest of liars and conspirators, and I just don't buy it. If I'm misreading your intentions, I apologize.