tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post1603118975410223767..comments2023-09-27T07:44:19.769-04:00Comments on Sabine Hossenfelder: Backreaction: Winter SolsticeSabine Hossenfelderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06151209308084588985noreply@blogger.comBlogger138125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-58143318353338584212019-01-10T05:12:22.466-05:002019-01-10T05:12:22.466-05:00@Steven Mason
I think we will do some awful things...@Steven Mason<br />I think we will do some awful things politically, like electing Trump.<br />Energy is the key, of course, as it is with respect to understanding everything from biology to physics. Energy is an important resource and an inimical waste, at least the ones easiest to use from a technological perspective, but as our tech improves, we can improve our waste elimination capabilities.Liralenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06675133437955499435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-68674204674798468552019-01-07T20:05:55.580-05:002019-01-07T20:05:55.580-05:00Liralen wrote: What are your ideas on how to defea...Liralen wrote: What are your ideas on how to defeat it? {Tragedy of the Commons]<br /><br />If you know enough to ask that question, then you already know what economists have offered as solutions. Do you have something specific in mind that you'd like to ask my opinion about? Without something specific, I could literally talk for days about it, which ironically enough would be an example of Steven Masonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05140374687362624448noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-50980384822088726582019-01-07T03:26:45.321-05:002019-01-07T03:26:45.321-05:00@Steve Mason - Tragedy of the Commons. See, for e...@Steve Mason - Tragedy of the Commons. See, for example, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tragedy_of_the_commons<br /><br />What are your ideas on how to defeat it?Liralenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06675133437955499435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-8857053142294951362019-01-03T18:14:58.037-05:002019-01-03T18:14:58.037-05:00Phillip wrote: Why should, say, a racecar driver k...Phillip wrote: Why should, say, a racecar driver know something about cooking?<br /><br />My current pet peeve, which is a silly indulgence, is Alex Trebek doing commercials for life insurance. He's using his reputation for integrity and intelligence to shill for a lousy life insurance policy. <br /><br />Trebek tells us, with his most dulcet tones and most sincere and earnest facial Steven Masonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05140374687362624448noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-77956106299779629102019-01-03T03:18:49.151-05:002019-01-03T03:18:49.151-05:00There is a real problem with people who have made ...There is a real problem with people who have made real contributions a) to another discipline b) more than half a century ago who a) think that their opinion on a topic they have no idea about is worth something and b) think that other people will think that it is worth something. The real problem is the other people who think that someone's opinion counts for something even with no Phillip Helbighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12067585245603436809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-50966178480974771982019-01-02T23:52:25.260-05:002019-01-02T23:52:25.260-05:00David Bailey wrote: Here is Freeman Dyson talking ...David Bailey wrote: Here is Freeman Dyson talking about climate change.<br /><br />David, it would be helpful if you just gave us the point you want us to get. For example, you could say, "Freeman Dyson says we shouldn't be worried about climate change, and I agree with him." <br /><br />All of us could literally post hundreds of links to hundreds of videos "talking about Steven Masonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05140374687362624448noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-38169794426148954682019-01-01T17:36:00.479-05:002019-01-01T17:36:00.479-05:00Here is Freeman Dyson talking about climate change...Here is Freeman Dyson talking about climate change.<br /><br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiKfWdXXfIsDavid Baileyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06172248428321078417noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-41798269142692497262019-01-01T17:23:08.906-05:002019-01-01T17:23:08.906-05:00Kurtz wrote: Mason is correct in the points he mak...Kurtz wrote: Mason is correct in the points he makes.<br /><br />Whenever I see someone say that Earth could easily accommodate 15 billion or more people, as long as we use technology "wisely," I always ask them to recommend a good book that explains how that can work.<br /><br />I've read some of Julian Simon's books, but he doesn't make a scientific case. He's an Steven Masonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05140374687362624448noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-77321794426443456022019-01-01T06:44:26.195-05:002019-01-01T06:44:26.195-05:00Mason is correct in the points he makes. Also thin...Mason is correct in the points he makes. Also think about the growing scarcity of unpolluted fresh water, declining pollinators, and waste sinks that can't process humanity's current load of externalities. I wonder what the air quality would be for a Connecticut with a 7.6 billion population...Steven B Kurtzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03545389243058689810noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-71330015853681761972018-12-31T17:57:16.194-05:002018-12-31T17:57:16.194-05:00bitor wrote: 7.5 Billion could fit shoulder to sho...bitor wrote: 7.5 Billion could fit shoulder to shoulder in a decent sized island<br /><br />That is an oft-used argument that is completely irrelevant. It's been debunked. What matters is the resources we use and the impact we make on our planet. <br /><br />You could fit 100 billion people in the state of Connecticut, and they wouldn't even have to be shoulder to shoulder. Obviously our Steven Masonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05140374687362624448noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-20552499993392016492018-12-31T10:48:58.279-05:002018-12-31T10:48:58.279-05:00One of the many breezes that filled our current pr...One of the many breezes that filled our current president's political sails was long-held resentment against the "good student," -- all the little slights and indignities of being ordinary while some others are highly favored and nurtured. Hillary's real goal was to be the ultimate good student. I empathize with those folks and I think you should too. It's the best footing Don Fosterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04814669413022486958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-74661584126785489062018-12-30T19:00:23.183-05:002018-12-30T19:00:23.183-05:00Dear Dr. I LOVE YOUR site, and I so much apprecia...Dear Dr. I LOVE YOUR site, and I so much appreciate your very keen take on this obsession with naturalism (aka materialism to me), to basically explain away fine tuning, etc. I also appreciate the balanced way you handle the very serious issue in what I think is much more than just physics... <br /><br />Perhaps you are right, but history should tell us something more as well. We have not bitor2009https://www.blogger.com/profile/03418076411315312493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-45209278222789607252018-12-30T16:19:47.319-05:002018-12-30T16:19:47.319-05:00Liralen wrote: Of course, we have a choice.
Indiv...Liralen wrote: Of course, we have a choice.<br /><br />Individual choices are fine as far as they go, but this is a situation that requires choices at the level of entire nations. Until that happens, people are more or less stuck with limited options.Steven Masonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05140374687362624448noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-3408320791217636292018-12-30T12:55:07.556-05:002018-12-30T12:55:07.556-05:00Steven Mason and Chris Sonnack,
As Chris points o...Steven Mason and Chris Sonnack,<br /><br />As Chris points out, ignorance is a part of the human condition. You are ignorant of far more things than you are knowledgeable about - as am I and every other human being. The problem with "the ignorant masses" construct is that it's intellectually lazy and analytically sloppy. It casts a wide net of aspersion without saying anything bud raphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06948881286545517324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-19062710219033971642018-12-30T03:36:22.951-05:002018-12-30T03:36:22.951-05:00The link you posted distilled to one point: There...The link you posted distilled to one point: There is money to be made from selling fossil fuels. That fact alone drives the politics.<br /><br />Each of us who give the fossil fuel providers money are guilty of the consequences of using fossil fuels, myself included. <br /><br />We've got lots of excuses, the worst being "we have no choice". Of course, we have a choice. Don'Liralenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06675133437955499435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-70083204126578327982018-12-28T16:21:03.963-05:002018-12-28T16:21:03.963-05:00Hope it's OK to mention another detail of my s...Hope it's OK to mention another detail of my scary accident in New Jersey, that I'd almost forgotten. I had just come to a stop and quickly glanced in the rear view mirror to ascertain if any traffic was coming in my lane. To my horror, a giant tanker truck had crested the hill and was barreling down the center lane right towards us. Luckily, unlike in Sabine's case, being rear David Schroederhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18048116250413347228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-48356448200351868762018-12-28T15:39:40.401-05:002018-12-28T15:39:40.401-05:00Bud wrote: I hope my meaning is clearer this time....Bud wrote: I hope my meaning is clearer this time.<br /><br />Okay, so you don't object to the word ignorant, but you do object to the term ignorant masses. That doesn't make it clearer; it just moves the cheese a little. Let's consider four concrete examples:<br /><br />An article I read recently reported that about 40% of Americans believe that the Earth is less than 10,000 years Steven Masonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05140374687362624448noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-90533396137375328912018-12-28T14:43:50.628-05:002018-12-28T14:43:50.628-05:00Regarding the "ignorant masses," a favor...Regarding the "ignorant masses," a favorite Carl Sagan quote goes like this:<br /><br /><i>"We’ve arranged a global civilization in which the most crucial elements — transportation, communications, and all other industries; agriculture, medicine, education, entertainment, protecting the environment; and even the key democratic institution of voting, profoundly depend on science andWyrd Smythehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06694506351266400927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-7317447681395134422018-12-28T12:43:50.174-05:002018-12-28T12:43:50.174-05:00The description of Sabine's accident on a free...The description of Sabine's accident on a freeway in Germany, reminded me of a similar collision I had on Rte 17 in northern New Jersey in 1976. I was heading home to a rented house in Mahwah, NJ, when out of a line of trees on the left a full size sedan lumbered slowly across the highway at almost a right angle to the flow of traffic. I was in the middle lane, and coming down a moderately David Schroederhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18048116250413347228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-51417903255423641262018-12-28T12:23:08.250-05:002018-12-28T12:23:08.250-05:00Steven,
Thank you for clarifying the meaning of i...Steven,<br /><br />Thank you for clarifying the meaning of ignorant. I was not objecting, however, to your use of that term, but rather to your gratuitous characterization of "the ignorant masses". That usage is prejudicial, class-based and ignorant, in and of itself. I hope my meaning is clearer this time.bud raphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06948881286545517324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-83211445376461416382018-12-28T01:56:07.522-05:002018-12-28T01:56:07.522-05:00Bud wrote: Let me add my concern to that of Unknow...Bud wrote: Let me add my concern to that of Unknown regarding the rather casual invocation of "the ignorant masses" in this discussion.<br /><br />Here is the definition of ignorance: lacking knowledge or information. In our politically correct time, some people don't want to acknowledge that many people lack knowledge or information. The funny thing about these noble people is thatSteven Masonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05140374687362624448noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-34098116823036935482018-12-28T01:01:33.821-05:002018-12-28T01:01:33.821-05:00Unknown wrote: I never said that human activity ca...Unknown wrote: I never said that human activity caused the little ice age. <br /><br />True, but you clearly implied a direct connection between Medieval levels of greenhouse gasses and the Little Ice Age. Phillip corrected your error. You might consider thanking him. Since you offer strong opinions on climate change, you ought to get your facts straight, no?Steven Masonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05140374687362624448noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-88445884586852026892018-12-27T14:20:16.920-05:002018-12-27T14:20:16.920-05:00This is off topic, but did anyone else here have d...This is off topic, but did anyone else here have difficulty in accessing all parts of Backreaction today? This morning (US, EST) on my home computer Sabine's latest post wouldn't completely load, the text was OK, just no images. Earlier images from other posts loaded. But, perplexingly, I couldn't access the comment sections of any posts, the latest, as well as all earlier posts. David Schroederhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18048116250413347228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-90489249839258372122018-12-27T13:31:15.266-05:002018-12-27T13:31:15.266-05:00@Unknown True enough. My point in specifying the m...@Unknown True enough. My point in specifying the middle-ages was only to cite a definitely pre-industrial climate (not a level of technology, education or culture) as a recent suitable goal with <i>some</i> non-zero greenhouse gases being produced by ranching, farming and fuel consumption. I was not suggesting we travel back in time to the 1500's and relive climate history.Dr. A.M. Castaldohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17988116835722393503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-58835816067314810232018-12-27T13:27:45.900-05:002018-12-27T13:27:45.900-05:00Let me add my concern to that of Unknown regarding...Let me add my concern to that of Unknown regarding the rather casual invocation of "the ignorant masses" in this discussion. The concept, as deployed here, is a myopic and class-based display - of ignorance. Such prejudicial posturing has no place in a serious discussion and is, in fact, self-denigrating.bud raphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06948881286545517324noreply@blogger.com