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Why do those who don't understand even basic science offer opinions on it anyway?

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Suburban Jedi

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Creationists -- don't understand even something as basic as the Law of Superposition, but offer opinions on evolution anyway
Anti-Vaxxers -- have no idea what neutrophils are, or how herd immunity works,but offer opinions on vaccinations anyway
Anti-GMO activists -- don't know even what ATGC means, but offer opinions on GMOs anyway
Alternative Medicine wackos -- think anything "natural" is OK, without understanding even VERY BASIC biochemistry, and that all medications are ultimately derived from naturally occurring substances.

AGW deniers are no different. They don't understand how the Greenhouse effect works, don't understand the EM spectrum, isotopic ratios, are utterly ignorant about BASIC chemistry, physics,geology and climatology. Most of the time they don't even understand the difference between weather and climate. Yet they form opinions on this topic, and strongly voice them anyway.

So my question is why? My guess is the Dunning-Kruger Effect, which is sometimes bolstered by a belief in conspiracy theories.

NOTE: For some reason, I was not given the option of offering possible responses. My guess is because of my (now deleted) poll about Trump's IQ yesterday.
 
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I would ask the exact same question of gun control advocates.



Everyone wants to micro manage things they don't understand.
 
I would ask the exact same question of gun control advocates.



Everyone wants to micro manage things they don't understand.

Fair point. I think back to the "Assault Weapons" ban of the 1990s, that didn't actually address what made a semi-automatic rifle with a detachable magazine dangerous, but rather just made them "look" dangerous. They replaced the pistol grips and folding stocks with thumbhole stocks, and took off the bayonet, the flash suppressor, etc and -- VOILA!!-- that AK-47 "Assault Rife" became a perfectly legal MAK-90,and just as lethal as ever.
 
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Because we human beings like to talk.

That's why we have a mouth.

Like most members, I want to blow off steam, even if I do not know what I am talking about.

That's why the dictionary lists the word "opinion."
 
Opinions, everyone's got one. Hey, and I heard that no one is perfect. So there is that.
 
Creationists -- don't understand even something as basic as the Law of Superposition, but offer opinions on evolution anyway
Anti-Vaxxers -- have no idea what neutrophils are, or how herd immunity works,but offer opinions on vaccinations anyway
Anti-GMO activists -- don't know even what ATGC means, but offer opinions on GMOs anyway
Alternative Medicine wackos -- think anything "natural" is OK, without understanding even VERY BASIC biochemistry, and that all medications are ultimately derived from naturally occurring substances.

AGW deniers are no different. They don't understand how the Greenhouse effect works, don't understand the EM spectrum, isotopic ratios, are utterly ignorant about BASIC chemistry, physics,geology and climatology. Most of the time they don't even understand the difference between weather and climate. Yet they form opinions on this topic, and strongly voice them anyway.

So my question is why? My guess is the Dunning-Kruger Effect, which is sometimes bolstered by a belief in conspiracy theories.

NOTE: For some reason, I was not given the option of offering possible responses. My guess is because of my (now deleted) poll about Trump's IQ yesterday.

Given that I was the one who explained the basic equasion of the wave to you why do you think that you have tha slightest clue about science?

If you don't have a clue, and you don't, how do you know what degree of understanding anybody else has?
 

Given that I was the one who explained the basic equasion of the wave to you why do you think that you have tha slightest clue about science?

If you don't have a clue, and you don't, how do you know what degree of understanding anybody else has?

1) We don't have a fundamental difference regarding the cause of Global Warming. You just don't see it as a problem.
2) IN fairness, I had to explain to you that changes in ice sheets and thermal expansion DO play a role in sea level changes as seen in the Mesozoic. You don't need an asteroid impact to change them.
3) You don't need to understand v=f*lambda to understand the Greenhouse Effect, or the role GHGs play in it.
 
After 10 minutes on Google everyone can be an expert on everything
 
After 10 minutes on Google everyone can be an expert on everything

I've found science deniers either:

A)Lack adequate google skills
B) Even if they use google, it's still beyond their understanding
C) Don't really care that they form their opinions in ignorance.

Or some combination of the above.
 
Because we human beings like to talk.

That's why we have a mouth.

Like most members, I want to blow off steam, even if I do not know what I am talking about.

That's why the dictionary lists the word "opinion."

So basically they don't really care that they're wrong.
 
I've found science deniers either:

A)Lack adequate google skills
B) Even if they use google, it's still beyond their understanding
C) Don't really care that they form their opinions in ignorance.

Or some combination of the above.

have to disagree with you, everyone can use Google to find sites they tell them exactly what they want to hear
 
1) We don't have a fundamental difference regarding the cause of Global Warming. You just don't see it as a problem.
2) IN fairness, I had to explain to you that changes in ice sheets and thermal expansion DO play a role in sea level changes as seen in the Mesozoic. You don't need an asteroid impact to change them.
3) You don't need to understand v=f*lambda to understand the Greenhouse Effect, or the role GHGs play in it.

I have read a paper on thermal expansion of oceans which was commissioned by the IPCC, well at least some of it, it was very long as they were paid in the millions for it and the basic information probably took an afternoon to work out, it being a well researched bit of mechanical engineering, so it was only necessary to look at the graphs.

That is where the figure of 14cm rise in a hundred years if the temperature was to increase by 1c today comes from.

It was why the figure for thermal expansion in previous IPCC scenarios dropped and they increased the ice melt numbers. Otherwise there is no significant sea level rise to be expected at all.

And no, you have to understand basic physics to understand the way CO2 absorbs IR and whatever. I do not have suficent understanding of the physics involved so i don't comment upon such things. I go with the IPCC's numbers. There are apparently those here who understand far more than I though.
 
I've found science deniers either:

A)Lack adequate google skills
B) Even if they use google, it's still beyond their understanding
C) Don't really care that they form their opinions in ignorance.

Or some combination of the above.

You have no clue about science.

You cannot tell if somebody has any understanding or not.
 
So basically they don't really care that they're wrong.

I cannot show you that you are worng because you seem to have reached your conclusion without the need for ay skepticism on the way.

I would like to explain why the figures for the ice mass balance of Greenland are lies. That is, in this case, NASA is lying. I doubt you would walk that path with me and look at the numbers as youwould have to drop one of your prefered beliefs.
 
Opinions generally address the perceived faults of proposed 'solutions' which generally include vast expansions of government power and expense.

While few deny that 'income inequality' is an issue, which has some well documented negative effects, many may not agree with a given proposed solution. That does not make them 'income inequality' deniers - it simply makes them opposed to a particular 'solution' being proposed to address that issue.
 
I cannot show you that you are worng because you seem to have reached your conclusion without the need for ay skepticism on the way.

I would like to explain why the figures for the ice mass balance of Greenland are lies. That is, in this case, NASA is lying. I doubt you would walk that path with me and look at the numbers as youwould have to drop one of your prefered beliefs.

You ALREADY admitted that AGW is real and caused by Anthropogenic GHGs. So if we're actually in agreement, about what specifically am I wrong?

Besides, it's obvious you know little about paleoclimatology.
 
I have read a paper on thermal expansion of oceans which was commissioned by the IPCC, well at least some of it, it was very long as they were paid in the millions for it and the basic information probably took an afternoon to work out, it being a well researched bit of mechanical engineering, so it was only necessary to look at the graphs.

That is where the figure of 14cm rise in a hundred years if the temperature was to increase by 1c today comes from.

It was why the figure for thermal expansion in previous IPCC scenarios dropped and they increased the ice melt numbers. Otherwise there is no significant sea level rise to be expected at all.

And no, you have to understand basic physics to understand the way CO2 absorbs IR and whatever. I do not have suficent understanding of the physics involved so i don't comment upon such things. I go with the IPCC's numbers. There are apparently those here who understand far more than I though.

It takes a physics degree to understand that CO2 strongly absorbs IR with a frequency of 15 micrometers,and this is why it keeps OLR from escaping into space?
*chuckle*
 
I cannot show you that you are worng because you seem to have reached your conclusion without the need for ay skepticism on the way.

I would like to explain why the figures for the ice mass balance of Greenland are lies. That is, in this case, NASA is lying. I doubt you would walk that path with me and look at the numbers as youwould have to drop one of your prefered beliefs.

Ah so you're a conspiracy theorist as well. So glad you and altruistic billionaries are saving the world from that secret cabal of Marxists and scientists intent on world domination.

*chuckle*
 
Opinions generally address the perceived faults of proposed 'solutions' which generally include vast expansions of government power and expense.

While few deny that 'income inequality' is an issue, which has some well documented negative effects, many may not agree with a given proposed solution. That does not make them 'income inequality' deniers - it simply makes them opposed to a particular 'solution' being proposed to address that issue.

The problem with that idea is that many if not most don't address AGW from the position of "Yes it's real, but what are the best solutions for this problem?"

Rather, they deny it's even occurring -- without even understanding the relevant concepts
 
Creationists -- don't understand even something as basic as the Law of Superposition, but offer opinions on evolution anyway
Anti-Vaxxers -- have no idea what neutrophils are, or how herd immunity works,but offer opinions on vaccinations anyway
Anti-GMO activists -- don't know even what ATGC means, but offer opinions on GMOs anyway
Alternative Medicine wackos -- think anything "natural" is OK, without understanding even VERY BASIC biochemistry, and that all medications are ultimately derived from naturally occurring substances.

AGW deniers are no different. They don't understand how the Greenhouse effect works, don't understand the EM spectrum, isotopic ratios, are utterly ignorant about BASIC chemistry, physics,geology and climatology. Most of the time they don't even understand the difference between weather and climate. Yet they form opinions on this topic, and strongly voice them anyway.

So my question is why? My guess is the Dunning-Kruger Effect, which is sometimes bolstered by a belief in conspiracy theories.

NOTE: For some reason, I was not given the option of offering possible responses. My guess is because of my (now deleted) poll about Trump's IQ yesterday.

What did I learn in college in the 1970s? I learned that professors can be merely propagandists for the popular positions and widely accepted views, not those who encourage questioning long held or preferred dogmas. They are, after all, paid to propagate what is written in the acceptable curricula by writers with specific biases. Global warming propaganda has multiple flaws and many reputable researchers asking the public to reexamine especially bad assumptions. Evolution is not proven science and there are many reputable researchers who publish reports which should be examined by anyone wishing to be right instead of wishing to be accepted for not rocking the popular science dogma boat.

College does not give intellectual honesty, intellectual integrity, independent thinking, or tolerance towards those who do possess those qualities. College also does not instill true genius into blind followers of propaganda of unsupported or unproven dogma.
 
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What did I learn in college in the 1970s? I learned that professors are often just propagandists for the popular positions and widely accepted views, not those who encourage questioning long held or preferred dogmas. Global warming propaganda has multiple flaws and many reputable researchers asking the public to reexamine especially bad assumptions. Evolution is not proven science and there are many reputable researchers who publish reports which should be examined by anyone wishing to be right instead of wishing to be accepted for not rocking the popular science dogma boat.

College does not give intellectual honesty, intellectual integrity, independent thinking, or tolerance towards those who do possess those qualities. College also does not instill true genius into blind followers of propaganda of unsupported or unproven dogma.

Straw man. We're not debating college experience.

My question is simply this: Why do you form an opinion on a topic when you don't even understand it on a grade school level?
 
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