Proving Global Warming
People I talk to who don’t believe in global warming often ask me to prove it to them. I cite studies and scientists, and statistics, but I can’t really prove it. And so then they take that as negative proof, that global warming isn’t happening.
I then get frustrated and am unsure of what to say next. Then I read the following post and to me, and I’ll try this tactic from now on. (Which I have already had the opportunity over email with a person.)
Stop getting carried away with something that has not been proven scientifically... See, the thing is that science never proves anything. That’s not a flaw in science, it’s methodology. Scientists have long discarded modus ponens as the logical basis for the scientific method, in favour of modus tollens. What that means is that we don’t try to prove things, because we recognise that we may not yet have all the facts. Instead we propose a explanation that seem to fit the facts and we try and disprove it.
The thing to note here is that if we wait for science to prove that global [warming] is happening, we’ll still be waiting in billions of years time. Even if the Sun the should expand to swallow the earth and engulf us solar plasma, we’ll still be waiting, because that’s not what scientists do!
If you want to be scientific about this, you need a counter theory, and it has to be falsifiable. There has to be a test we can conduct that to prove it wrong. Preferably one that doesn’t involve waiting a thousand years to see if the climate flips state back to the Cambrian Era. (Read full comment in context)
This isn’t going to convince someone that global warming is happening, but I hope it will make them think harder about why they believe it isn’t happening.
Comments(2)
Have you ever read the book, “Don’t Think Of An Elephant?”
It is really good and talks about the importance of framing issues to speak to people’s subconscious values. I think if you want to make headway in your conversations with people who doubt global warming, then you need to understand how to frame the conversation to speak to their core values.
Nathan Brown
Owner ACoolerClimate.com
Undo global warming by making one change.
this confirms my opinion that g.w. is a plan to redistribute wealth and never was and never will be about the environment. If it was about the environments laws would be passed to force companies to reduce co2. But that is not promoted buying and selling of carbon taxes is promoted. How will this lesson Co2 emissions? Not. Shut down all of Canada tomorrow and there would be no difference in global co2 emissions, ever.