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On Tue, 30 Jan 2007 16:26:26 -0000, Wright, Steve [log in to unmask] wrote: >I thought we'd bottomed this correspondence a while ago but alas >scientists do not confine their activities to the ivory towers of >academe. Quite a few, indeed a great number have sought the dubious joy >of working for the military-police industrial complex...a nice little >earner and hang the ethical considerations. > >I remember when we first started the debate on the forum as either a >platform for change or social astronomy, I was deeply concerned that the >climate change issue would fail to be resolved politically or indeed >environmentally and that the military would field test all sorts of area >denial and perimeter exclsuion technologies against those attempting to >migrate across borders because of climate change. > >Curiously this debate re ignited just days before Pentcho's email >arrived..the pentagon announced they field tested their new ray gun on >over 10,000 volunteers: > > > http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6300985.stm > >http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,11069-2565312,00.html > >Most of the independent comment workldwide came from the Yorkshire based >Threshold group which was set up to ask searching technical questions >about the assertions made by scientists and military personnel that the >technology was quite safe. Here is a role for scientific expertise. We >don't need to be white collar mecenaries, we can call to account and for >me, increasingly that is what our forum is orienating itself to do. >Let's co-operate in challenge but reflect for a moment in the hope of >wisdom in choosing the most legitimate targets to focus our dissent. > >Steve Wright > >-----Original Message----- >From: Discussion list for the Crisis Forum >[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Pentcho Valev >Sent: 29 January 2007 07:09 >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: Re: ANGELS ON A PIN? > > >On Sat, 9 Sep 2006 13:25:17 +0100, Wright, Steve ><[log in to unmask]> wrote: > >___________________________________________ >>How many angels can you fit on a pin? Why even pose such a silly >>question? >Well it can effectively distract people with overlarge brains from >focussing on this world rather than the next. >> >>Jonathan is of course right. Why are we focussing on the speed of light >when we are a climate crisis forum? What we can be sure of is that our >collective mind will not solve climate change at the speed of light. The > >rest is infantile.... ______________________________________________ > >I am afraid the "speed of light" (that is, fundamental) problems are the > >only problems scientists should try to resolve (besides, you are not >just a >climate crisis forum, judging from the initial description). The >destruction of human rationality through science education should stop. >Only in university auditoriums scientists' voices may be heard. Any >other >activity, including shouting slogans at politicians, is inefficient. For > >the moment the slogans I am shouting at scientists are also inefficient: > >http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk/discussion.asp?id=2645 > >Pentcho Valev >[log in to unmask] If, as I believe, rationality in science has been replaced by worshipping miracles and their creators, not too many people would be successful in following your advice: "Let's co-operate in challenge but reflect for a moment in the hope of wisdom in choosing the most legitimate targets to focus our dissent." Restoring rationality is the only task scientists should set themselves. Causa perduta perhaps but scientists have no other choice. Pentcho Valev [log in to unmask]