O Insurgente: Politizando a Ciência (2)

Scientific consensus is that WE are causing global warming

De Michael Crichton, autor do livro State of Fear, excerto dum seu recente discurso intitulado Aliens Cause Global Warming:

I want to pause here and talk about this notion of consensus, and the rise of what has been called consensus science. I regard consensus science as an extremely pernicious development that ought to be stopped cold in its tracks. Historically, the claim of consensus has been the first refuge of scoundrels; it is a way to avoid debate by claiming that the matter is already settled. Whenever you hear the consensus of scientists agrees on something or other, reach for your wallet, because you're being had.

Let's be clear: the work of science has nothing whatever to do with consensus. Consensus is the business of politics. Science, on the contrary, requires only one investigator who happens to be right, which means that he or she has results that are verifiable by reference to the real world. In science consensus is irrelevant. What is relevant is reproducible results. The greatest scientists in history are great precisely because they broke with the consensus.

There is no such thing as consensus science. If it's consensus, it isn't science. If it's science, it isn't consensus. Period.

[via Causa Liberal e LRC]

E recordo, também, as palavras do insurgente Claudio Téllez:

A razão é uma faculdade humana que nos permite compreender certas coisas dentro de certos limites. Quem atribui à razão e ao conhecimento científico uma aura de infalibilidade não compreende o que é de fato a ciência e abraça uma postura racionalista ingênua. Enquanto essa postura se restringe à esfera individual, não há maiores problemas. Infelizmente, é cada vez mais comum que essa imagem distorcida da ciência seja propalada pelos meios informativos e acadêmicos para fins de ativismo político e ideológico.

Nota: recomendo a leitura integral dos artigos de Michael Crichton e Claudio Téllez.

trailerAn Inconvenient TruthScientific consensus is that WE are causing global warmingState of FearAliens Cause Global WarmingI want to pause here and talk about this notion of consensus, and the rise of what has been called consensus science. I regard consensus science as an extremely pernicious development that ought to be stopped cold in its tracks. Historically, the claim of consensus has been the first refuge of scoundrels; it is a way to avoid debate by claiming that the matter is already settled. Whenever you hear the consensus of scientists agrees on something or other, reach for your wallet, because you're being had.

Let's be clear: the work of science has nothing whatever to do with consensus. Consensus is the business of politics. Science, on the contrary, requires only one investigator who happens to be right, which means that he or she has results that are verifiable by reference to the real world. In science consensus is irrelevant. What is relevant is reproducible results. The greatest scientists in history are great precisely because they broke with the consensus.

There is no such thing as consensus science. If it's consensus, it isn't science. If it's science, it isn't consensus. Period.

[via Causa Liberal e LRC]Claudio TéllezA razão é uma faculdade humana que nos permite compreender certas coisas dentro de certos limites. Quem atribui à razão e ao conhecimento científico uma aura de infalibilidade não compreende o que é de fato a ciência e abraça uma postura racionalista ingênua. Enquanto essa postura se restringe à esfera individual, não há maiores problemas. Infelizmente, é cada vez mais comum que essa imagem distorcida da ciência seja propalada pelos meios informativos e acadêmicos para fins de ativismo político e ideológico.

O Insurgente

22.6.06

Politizando a Ciência (2)

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