Stupid Quote of the Day: Multiple points of FAILure

From Vox Day (yes, again):

[…] if anthropogenic global warming is subsequently proven to be real, then those who believe there is no God or believe in evolution by natural selection can quite reasonably argue that the opinion of the unscientific masses on the matter should be at least somewhat influenced by the opinion of the self-appointed scientific elite. If, however, it is subsquently proven to be false, any attempt to argue that the unscientific masses should pay any attention whatsoever to the latest way the winds of scientific consensus are blowing can and should be ridiculed.

This is stupid for a number of reasons. First of all, Vox once again demonstrates his ignorance of basic scientific principles when he writes about man-made Global Warming being “proven”. No theories are ever truly “proven”; scientific theories are not mathematical formulas. Even theories like Evolution or Gravity have not been “proven”. Regardless of the scale and quality of the body of evidence supporting a theory and the lack of evidence contradicting it, no theory will ever be foolproof or immune to obsolescence.

Second, there is no “self-appointed scientific elite”, which is certainly a phrase ever heard from the mouths of anti-scientific ignorami. Scientists are simply people, folks like you and I, whose job it is to study the world to try to find truths and facts. The rest of us, who usually do not have their intelligence, education or skills, therefore rely on them to tell us what really is. It’s merely their jobs to provide information, not to rule us, or look down on us as snobs.

Thirdly, Vox’s claim that proving or disproving^[sic] man-made Global Warming would decide whether the common masses should or shouldn’t pay attention to what scientists say is pure stupidity (and is again heard only from the side of the scientifically illiterate). According to Vox’s thinking (or what it appears to be), if scientists make a mistake and screw up on Global Warming (which, however dubious I believe it to be, I concede is certainly always possible, as is anything else), then they void any shred of credibility they have and no-one should ever listen to them ever again. Y’know, despite the fact that scientists making mistakes now and again is actually a strength of science’s, given that it is a self-correcting, self-advancing discipline.

Yeah, that makes perfect sense, doesn’t it? Ignore those with the actual facts and information, those who actually perform the research, experimenting and development of new technologies and knowledge that make our lives what they are today.

Moran.

Finally, on those two mentions of Evolution and atheism: A) Evolution hasn’t been scientifically contested in any real way, shape or form in 150 years, and B) what atheism has to do with science, scientists or the public’s view and/or acceptance of science, is known only to Vox Day and cranks of his sort. Atheism is a set of beliefs (or, rather, a lack of them) in the supernatural and metaphysical; it is not a scientific discipline anymore than is religion, or believing in aliens.

As I said … “Moran”.