The allure of the maverick

نویسنده

  • Cyrus Martin
چکیده

I �as sur�rise�,� t� �ut it li�htly,� t� rea� in a recent letter (htt�://�nline.�sj.c�m/article/SB10001424052970204301404 577171531838421366.html?m��=WSJ_O�ini�n_LEADT��) t� the Wall Street Journal that,� “There is n� c�m�ellin� scientific ar�ument f�r �rastic acti�n t� ‘�ecarb�nize’ the ��rl�’s ec�n�my.” The letter �as si�ne� by 16 scientists fr�m several �resti�i�us instituti�ns,� inclu�in� Princet�n an� MIT,� an� it makes the case that there has been n� �l�bal �armin� in the last �eca�e,� that CO2 is in fact beneficial t� cr��s,� an� that �e sh�ul� �� n�thin� t� miti�ate �reenh�use �as emissi�ns. H�� is the avera�e J�e �n the street su���se� t� square this �ith the ����site vie�,� �hich ha��ens t� be hel� by the ��rl�’s nati�nal aca�emies an� the Internati�nal Panel f�r Climate Chan�e,� that �l�bal �armin� is real an� �estructive,� that mankin� is res��nsible,� an� that ste�s sh�ul� be taken imme�iately t� a��ress it? In his/her min�,� is there n�t a c�ntr�versy? Is the matter n�t unsettle�? After all,� Princet�n an� MIT are n�t exactly intellectual back�aters. This �articular case s�eaks t� the im��rtant r�le �f the �eneral me�ia in �resentin� an accurate �icture �f im��rtant issues an� h�� the �ublic �istin�uishes ex�erts,� the subject �f an e�it�rial (Curr. Biol. 15,� R433) in Current Biology �ritten several years a�� an� revisite� here. In the case �f the Wall Street Journal �iece,� the �ublishin� �f a letter fr�m a small �r�u� �f frin�e scientists has �iven cre�ibility t� a vie� rejecte� by mainstream climate scientists,� an� cases such as these have im��rtant im�licati�ns f�r �ublic �erce�ti�ns an� ��licy �ecisi�ns. S� h�� �� these thin�s ha��en? M�re s�ecifically,� h�� are the see�s �f ��ubt s��n �n issues that are alrea�y settle� by �ur scientific b��ies? It’s first necessary t� l��k t� the c�n�iti�ns that �r�m�te ill-su���rte� the�ries. In the case �f the �i�ely ���ularize� but unsubstantiate� i�ea that vaccines cause autism,� f�r exam�le,� the c�n�iti�ns �r�bably inclu�e� the nee� f�r autistic �arents t� fin� a �al�able cause f�r the seemin�ly su��en �nset �f their chil�’s c�n�iti�n. Here,� a sin�le stu�y in the Lancet,� subsequently retracte�,� an� the ��ini�ns �f H�lly���� celebrities,� �ere sufficient t� c�nvince �es�erate �arents that the MMR vaccine cause� their chil�’s autism. This ha� the �rave c�nsequence �f re�ucin� vaccinati�n rates,� alm�st certainly resultin� in unnecessary illness an� ��ssibly �eaths. In the case �f the ev�luti�n ‘�ebate’ in the US,� there is an inherent c�nflict bet�een the central tenets �f Dar�inian ev�luti�n an� the reli�i�us beliefs �f many (e.�.,� the share� ancestry bet�een man an� a�es,� the inc�n�ruent time frames,� the necessity f�r �ivine interventi�n itself),� �r�vi�in� a c�m�ellin� reas�n t� a���t intelli�ent �esi�n the�ries �atently rejecte� by alm�st all scientists. Turnin� t� the issue at han� — the i�ea that �l�bal chan�e is n�t real an�/�r n�t a seri�us issue — a likely c�ntributin� fact�r is the ec�n�mic bur�en in the sh�rt term that miti�ati�n �f climate chan�e makes necessary. P�liticians seekin� �ffice,� su���rte� by intereste� l�bbyists,� can use the climate ‘�ebate’ t� cast ��ubt �n the reality �f �l�bal �armin� an� make the attractive case that in fact n� �ne has t� ti�hten their belt. As the recent letter in the Wall Street Journal makes clear,� an�ther im��rtant in�re�ient all��in� �iscre�ite� the�ries t� �ain a f��th�l� is a �resti�i�us �ublic f�rum. Here is �here the ju��ement �f the e�it�r an� the �esires �f the rea�ershi� c�me int� �lay. Asi�e fr�m the reas�ns articulate� ab�ve,� every�ne likes a ���� c�ntr�versy. The i�ea �f scientists fr�m �ifferent cam�s squarin� u�,� rea�y t� �� intellectual battle,� is a��ealin� an� it’s fun t� be a s�ectat�r. C�nsequently,� there is a str�n� m�tivati�n f�r e�it�rs t� �ublish such st�ries,� es�ecially if the scenari� inv�lves a l�ne maverick t�ilin� a�ainst the ���ressive �ei�ht �f the scientific establishment — the man. The un�er��� has hu�e a��eal,� an� if y�u equi� them �ith Ivy Lea�ue cre�entials,� es�ecially s�. When mainstream scientists �r�test the �r�m�ti�n �f these un�er���s,� the ar�ument al�ays seems t� be that there is n�thin� �r�n� �ith a ���� �ebate,� an� that any�ne �h� thinks �ther�ise is a�ainst free s�eech. T� be sure,� there have been the�ries that bucke� the mainstream vie� an� yet eventually turne� �ut t� be true. Take the c�ntributi�ns �f Lynn Mar�ulis (Curr. Biol. 22,� R4–R6),� �h� ha� t� battle c�nventi�nal �is��m f�r years bef�re her en��symbi�tic the�ry �as vin�icate�,� th�u�h s�me �f her �ther i�eas �ere n�t. N� �ne is ar�uin� that unc�nventi�nal vie�s cann�t be ri�ht,� but the cliché “extra�r�inary claims require extra�r�inary evi�ence” certainly a��lies here. Thus far,� creati�nists an� climate �enialists have faile� t� brin� any c�m�ellin� evi�ence t� the table. But the crucial ��int is that ne�s�a�er e�it�rs nee� t� rec��nize this an� �resent a balance� vie� that accurately reflects the vie�s �f the scientific c�mmunity as a �h�le,� es�ecially �n im��rtant issues like climate chan�e. If these are the causes,� �hat is the ��tential �ama�e inflicte� by ill-su���rte�,� crack��t the�ries? The recent Re�ublican �rimaries make the �r�blem evi�ent. Alm�st all �f the fr�ntrunners either ��n’t believe in �l�bal �armin� �r,� if they ��,� ��n’t think humans are the main �r�blem. One �f the c�nten�ers,� f�rmer H�use S�eaker Ne�t Gin�rich,� �as qu�te� at a recent t��n hall meetin� as sayin� that �l�bal �armin� “hasn’t been t�tally �r�ven”. An� Mitt R�mney,� the m�st likely n�minee f�r �resi�ent recently state�,� “My vie� is that �e ��n’t kn�� �hat’s causin� climate chan�e �n this �lanet. An� the i�ea �f s�en�in� trilli�ns an� trilli�ns �f ��llars t� try t� re�uce CO2 emissi�ns is n�t the ri�ht c�urse f�r us.” The �nly n�table exce�ti�n �as J�hn Huntsman,� f�rmer Ambassa��r t� China,� �h� feels that �e sh�ul� l��k t� scientists t� settle such issues. Unf�rtunately f�r Huntsman,� vie�s such as these are vie�e� as t�� m��erate,� an� he’s b��e� �ut �f the race. This is unsettlin� t� say the least. It says that a si�nificant number �f ��vernment �fficials,� an� ��ssibly the future �resi�ent �f the Unite� States,� is rejectin� the rec�mmen�ati�ns �f the ��rl�’s m�st �resti�i�us scientific b��ies in fav�r �f the vie�s �f the extreme min�rity. In an electi�n year,� the reas�ns are �bvi�us. But it effectively turns the cl�ck back �n civilizati�n t� the Mi��le A�es,� this at a time �hen �e nee� t� l��k t� �ur scientists t� hel� s�lve �ur many �ressin� �r�blems,� inclu�in� the very real �armin� �f �ur �lanet.

برای دانلود رایگان متن کامل این مقاله و بیش از 32 میلیون مقاله دیگر ابتدا ثبت نام کنید

ثبت نام

اگر عضو سایت هستید لطفا وارد حساب کاربری خود شوید

منابع مشابه

Effect of Substrate Type on Growth Traits of Pelargonium ×hortorum 'Maverick Star' in Plug Culture

To evaluate the effect of different culture media on growth indices of Pelargonium ×hortorum “Maverick Star” in plug culture, a greenhouse experiment was carried out based on a completely randomized design with seven treatments and four replications. The treatments were seven different substrates including peat moss (100%), cocopeat (100%), peat moss + cocopeat (60%+40%), peat moss + cocopeat (...

متن کامل

Making Sense of a Conjecture of Antitrust Policy in the Lab

Antitrust authorities all over the world are concerned if a particularly aggressive competitor, a "maverick", is bought out of the market. One plausible determinant of acting as a maverick is behavioral: the maverick derives utility from acting competitively. We test this conjecture in the lab. In a pretest, we classify participants by their social value orientation. Individuals who are rivalis...

متن کامل

Maverick Examples Of Coset Conformal Field Theories

We present coset conformal field theories whose spectrum is not determined by the identification current method. In these “maverick” cosets there is a larger symmetry identifying primary fields than under the identification current. We find an A-D-E classification of these mavericks.

متن کامل

Maverick: Providing Web Applications with Safe and Flexible Access to Local Devices

Web browsers do not yet provide Web programs with the same safe, convenient access to local devices that operating systems provide to native programs. As a result, Web programmers must either wait for the slowly evolving HTML standard to add support for the device classes they want to use, or they must use difficult to deploy browser plug-ins to add the access they need. This paper describes Ma...

متن کامل

The Seductive Allure of “ Seductive Allure ”

The idea of fMRI’s “seductive allure” is supported by two widely cited studies. Upon closer analysis of these studies, and in light of more recent research, we find little empirical support for the claim that brain images are inordinately influential.

متن کامل

The Seductive Allure of "Seductive Allure".

The idea of fMRI's "seductive allure" is supported by two widely cited studies. Upon closer analysis of these studies, and in light of more recent research, we find little empirical support for the claim that brain images are inordinately influential.

متن کامل

ذخیره در منابع من


  با ذخیره ی این منبع در منابع من، دسترسی به آن را برای استفاده های بعدی آسان تر کنید

عنوان ژورنال:
  • Current Biology

دوره 22  شماره 

صفحات  -

تاریخ انتشار 2012