Michael Crichton, author of Jurassic Park, tackles “politicized science” in his 2004 novel, State of Fear. While I thought the novel was chunky, filled with unpolished dialog, and hindered by hard to believe plot twists, I had to admire Crichton for taking on such a politically charged issue as global warming.
The basic premise of the book is that certain environmentalist groups are plotting to force action to be taken to stop global warming by launching a series of ecological catastrophes that validate their claims that global warming is an imminent threat to life on earth. Explosives are laid in Antarctica to break off a large chunk of ice, thunderstorms in Arizona are fueled by electrostatic generators to create a monster storm, and undersea explosives to create a tsunami that would swamp the western coast of the United States, all in conjunction with a global warming seminar.
Crichton is even-handed in his treatment of the subject of global warming, giving all sides adequate exposure. His main theme is that certain ecological groups have created a “State of Fear” by twisting data and manipulating computer simulations. He calls for a clear-minded approach that takes into account all the data as well as the consequences of intended actions. Check out his conclusions at: http://www.crichton-official.com/fear/.
The appendix and author’s conclusion are some of the most helpful parts of the book. Crichton shows how little we really know about climate change and managing the environment. He gives some very powerful incidents where regulations were implemented that had disastrous ecological and economic results. Many of the proposed “solutions” are worse than the problem they claim to cure while others are so costly and provide minimal help, that the costs far exceed any useful benefit.
I found the author’s conclusion extremely helpful and valuable in sorting out the issues in global warming:
1. We know astonishingly little about every aspect of the environment, from its past history to its present state, how to preserve and protect it.
2. Atmospheric carbon dioxide is increasing and human activity is the probable cause.
3. We are also in the midst of a natural warming trend that began about 1850 as we emerged from a 400-year cold spell known as “the little ice age.”
4. Nobody knows how much of the present warming trend might be a natural phenomena.
5. Nobody knows how much of the present warming trend might be man-made.
6. Nobody knows how much warming will occur in the next century. The computer models vary by 400 percent, de facto proof that nobody knows.
7. Before making expensive policy decisions on the basis of climate models I think it is reasonable to require the models to predict future temperatures accurately for a period of ten years, and twenty would be better.
8. There are many reason to shift away from fossil fuels and we will do so in the next century without legislation, financial incentives, carbon conservation programs, or the interminable yammering of fear-mongers. As far as I know, nobody had to ban horse transportation in the early twentieth century.
9. I find most environmental principles, such as “sustainable development” or the “precautionary principle,” have the effect of preserving the economic advantages of the West, and thus constitute modern imperialism toward the third world. They are a nice way of saying, “We got ours but we don’t want you to get yours because you’ll cause too much pollution.”
10. I believe people are well intentioned but I have great respect for the corrosive influence of bias, systematic distortions of thought, the power of rationalization, the guises of self-interest, and the inevitability of unintended consequences.
11. We haven’t the foggiest notion of how to preserve what we term “wilderness” and we had better study it in the field and learn how to do so. I see no evidence that we are conduction such research in a systematic way. I, therefore, hold little hope for wilderness management in the twenty-first century. I blame environmentalist groups as much as developers and strip miners; there is no difference in outcomes to greed and incompetence.
12. We need a new environmental movement with new goals and new organizations. We need more people working in the field, in the actual environment, and fewer people behind computer screens. We need more scientists and fewer lawyers.
13. We cannot hope to manage a complex system, such as the environment, through litigation.
14. We desperately need a non-partisan, blinded funding mechanism to conduct scientific research that may have policy implications. Scientists are only too aware of who they are working for; as a result environmental organizational studies are every bit as biased and suspect as industry sponsored studies. Government studies are similarly biased according to who is running the department or administration at the time. I am certain there is too much certainty in the world
15. I personally experience a profound pleasure being in nature. My happiest days each year are those spent in wilderness. I wish natural environments to be preserved for future generations. I am not satisfied that they will be preserved in sufficient quantities or with sufficient skill. I conclude the exploiters of the environment include: environmental organizations, government organizations, and big business. All have equally dismal track records.
16. Everybody has an agenda, except me.
Showing posts with label Fear. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fear. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Monday, March 19, 2007
Ender's Game (2)
I just finished the last book in the first series of Ender’s Game, Children of the Mind. This was the most philosophical of the whole series while Xenocide was the most religious. Orson Scott Card plans to write one more novel that will tie the first and second series together, most likely set mainly on the planet Lusitania where most of the action has taken place in the last three books. Lusitania is the planet where Ender Wiggin finally settled, got married, and died.
While it is unusual for the hero to die half way through a novel, Ender isn’t really dead, at least not fully. This is Card’s attempt to explain his philosophy of man’s nature. His views are interesting and thought-provoking and he deals with many of the major issues in this philosophical debate. Card sees man as possessing an immaterial soul that takes on a body at birth. Humans are not defined solely by their memories or their soul; rather, both memories and soul are essential to personhood.
Children of the Mind also tackles other major philosophical issues. One of the main themes is the human tendency to fear that which is different, leading humans to be quick to judge others. Humans tend to jump to conclusions about others without taking the time to really understand them. The whole series revolves around the issue of the fear of alien species which appear to pose a serious threat to the survival of the human race. Cards point is that we need to take the time to understand those who fear and seek to communicate fully instead of defending ourselves as a knee-jerk action. This principle is also applied to inter-human personal relationships.
This issue was also dealt with in great detail in The Hive Queen, Ender’s first book, where Ender tries to atone for his act of xenocide by seeking to understand the enemy he nearly annihilated. As a Speaker for the Dead, he seeks to communicate the history, culture and true intentions of the alien race that had attacked earth and which he nearly blew into oblivion in a preemptive strike on their home planet. By seeking to fully understand an alien species that nearly destroyed earth, Ender becomes the chief paradigm for empathy and love for those who are different and seemingly dangerous.
While the first book, Ender’s Game, is appealing to a wide audience, the later books in the series have a narrower appeal. Children of the Mind is probably the least appealing of the series since it has less action and more philosophizing and psychologizing. I also recommend that the first three books be read first, since much of the Children of the Mind depends on all that has happened in the first three books.
Here are the books in the Ender’s Game series with the books I have read marked with an (x):
ENDER’S GAME
FIRST SERIES:
Ender's Game (x)
Speaker for the Dead (x)
Xenocide (x)
Children of the Mind (x)
Ender in Exile: Ganges (working title)
SECOND SERIES:
Ender's Shadow (x)
Shadow of the Hegemon (x)
Shadow Puppets
Shadow of the Giant (x)
Shadows in Flight
Other:
First Meetings
While it is unusual for the hero to die half way through a novel, Ender isn’t really dead, at least not fully. This is Card’s attempt to explain his philosophy of man’s nature. His views are interesting and thought-provoking and he deals with many of the major issues in this philosophical debate. Card sees man as possessing an immaterial soul that takes on a body at birth. Humans are not defined solely by their memories or their soul; rather, both memories and soul are essential to personhood.
Children of the Mind also tackles other major philosophical issues. One of the main themes is the human tendency to fear that which is different, leading humans to be quick to judge others. Humans tend to jump to conclusions about others without taking the time to really understand them. The whole series revolves around the issue of the fear of alien species which appear to pose a serious threat to the survival of the human race. Cards point is that we need to take the time to understand those who fear and seek to communicate fully instead of defending ourselves as a knee-jerk action. This principle is also applied to inter-human personal relationships.
This issue was also dealt with in great detail in The Hive Queen, Ender’s first book, where Ender tries to atone for his act of xenocide by seeking to understand the enemy he nearly annihilated. As a Speaker for the Dead, he seeks to communicate the history, culture and true intentions of the alien race that had attacked earth and which he nearly blew into oblivion in a preemptive strike on their home planet. By seeking to fully understand an alien species that nearly destroyed earth, Ender becomes the chief paradigm for empathy and love for those who are different and seemingly dangerous.
While the first book, Ender’s Game, is appealing to a wide audience, the later books in the series have a narrower appeal. Children of the Mind is probably the least appealing of the series since it has less action and more philosophizing and psychologizing. I also recommend that the first three books be read first, since much of the Children of the Mind depends on all that has happened in the first three books.
Here are the books in the Ender’s Game series with the books I have read marked with an (x):
ENDER’S GAME
FIRST SERIES:
Ender's Game (x)
Speaker for the Dead (x)
Xenocide (x)
Children of the Mind (x)
Ender in Exile: Ganges (working title)
SECOND SERIES:
Ender's Shadow (x)
Shadow of the Hegemon (x)
Shadow Puppets
Shadow of the Giant (x)
Shadows in Flight
Other:
First Meetings
Friday, March 9, 2007
Don’t Circle the Wagons
If you got most of your history of the American West from cowboys and Indian movies, or from left-wing hate America first literature, then you should read P.J. Hill’s article, “Don’t Circle the Wagons” in Books & Culture, March/April 2007, page 10. Hill reviews the book, Indians and Emigrants: Encounters on the Overland Trails, and debunks the notion that there was a lot of conflict between the Indians and the settlers because they came from very different cultures. He also debunks the myth that today there must be clashes of cultures as well. On the contrary, history shows that two widely different cultures can coexist amiably if they want to.
Contrary to modern myths, “Indians and settlers interacted rather peacefully for a long period of time.” The prairie became a vast cooperative meeting ground where commerce and exchange were carried out for mutual profit. Much of the land was settled in a peaceful manner and wagon trains heading to Oregon or California were rarely attacked by Indians. Both sides saw incredible opportunities for potential gain through repeated peaceful interaction. Indians even settled along the trail to act as middle men in this exchange system.
While there was some misunderstanding between the two cultures, most of the misunderstanding came from the side of the settlers, not the Indians. There were a few skirmishes, and these “stories” were repeated numerous times, until they became well-embedded in the consciousness of those heading west. As a result, many settlers expected to be attacked, and so they began to treat all Indians with suspicion and fear. And even though there were very few attacks and Indians willingly offered themselves as guides, even putting their own lives in danger to help and rescue settlers, the fear grew.
From 1840 to 1860, only 362 emigrants were killed by Indians, a mere 18 deaths per year. By contrast, 426 Indians were killed by whites. Yet these were small skirmishes, usually as the result of the settlers misunderstanding the intentions of the Indians. There were few major incidents or organized plans of attack. Instead, there were only eight “massacres” between 1840 and 1870.
I like Hill’s conclusion: “We ought not to be too quick to assume that people of very different backgrounds will always find their interactions laden with conflict.”
As Christians, we need to be leaders in reducing fear and promoting peaceful interaction between groups with different backgrounds and worldviews. Fear leads to mistrust and misunderstandings, resulting in conflict. Love conquers fear and leads to trust, understanding and cooperation.
You can read the article at: http://www.christianitytoday.com/bc/2007/002/3.10.html
Contrary to modern myths, “Indians and settlers interacted rather peacefully for a long period of time.” The prairie became a vast cooperative meeting ground where commerce and exchange were carried out for mutual profit. Much of the land was settled in a peaceful manner and wagon trains heading to Oregon or California were rarely attacked by Indians. Both sides saw incredible opportunities for potential gain through repeated peaceful interaction. Indians even settled along the trail to act as middle men in this exchange system.
While there was some misunderstanding between the two cultures, most of the misunderstanding came from the side of the settlers, not the Indians. There were a few skirmishes, and these “stories” were repeated numerous times, until they became well-embedded in the consciousness of those heading west. As a result, many settlers expected to be attacked, and so they began to treat all Indians with suspicion and fear. And even though there were very few attacks and Indians willingly offered themselves as guides, even putting their own lives in danger to help and rescue settlers, the fear grew.
From 1840 to 1860, only 362 emigrants were killed by Indians, a mere 18 deaths per year. By contrast, 426 Indians were killed by whites. Yet these were small skirmishes, usually as the result of the settlers misunderstanding the intentions of the Indians. There were few major incidents or organized plans of attack. Instead, there were only eight “massacres” between 1840 and 1870.
I like Hill’s conclusion: “We ought not to be too quick to assume that people of very different backgrounds will always find their interactions laden with conflict.”
As Christians, we need to be leaders in reducing fear and promoting peaceful interaction between groups with different backgrounds and worldviews. Fear leads to mistrust and misunderstandings, resulting in conflict. Love conquers fear and leads to trust, understanding and cooperation.
You can read the article at: http://www.christianitytoday.com/bc/2007/002/3.10.html
Monday, March 5, 2007
Culture of Fear
In his book, The Culture of Fear, Barry Glassner explains why Americans are afraid of the wrong things. This is a book worth reading, even if you don’t agree with everything he says. At least it should make you think twice about what you see on TV or read in the newspaper, if it doesn’t make you avoid the mass media all together.
Politicians, news media, and special interest groups use fear to sell their products, ideas and influence. Often they manipulate statistics, misuse studies or lie to create a sense of impending doom in order to get a large segment of the population to act in a way they want the public to act. “The short answer to why Americans harbor so many misbegotten fears is that immense power and money await those who tap into our moral insecurities and supply us with symbolic substitutes.”
These peddlers of damage our nation in several ways. First, they cause us to spend money to prevent dangers that are either not real or remote. For example, airlines are forced to spend more money for airline safety when air travel is the safest mode of transportation already. Second, they divert money and attention away from the real problem. Instead of wasting money on more air safety, money should be spent to reduce drunk driving, the number one cause of transportation fatalities. Third, it creates needless stress and turmoil, reducing the quality of life in our country.
There is no epidemic of kidnapping, child pornography, air disasters, road rage, postal shootings, or husband abuse. Instead, we should focus on poverty, education, guns and other more pertinent issues that are the real source of our nation’s problems. Time, energy and money should be spent on the real problems, not on these fantasy issues.
Think twice before buying into a fear campaign. Limit your exposure to news programs. Evaluate every message that uses statistics to create a sense that things are going from bad to worse and your money or support is needed to stem the tide. Fear is a powerful motivator, and the media, the government, religious organizations, corporations and special interests groups are using it on you to manipulate you.
For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” (Romans 8:15)
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. (2 Timothy 1:7)
Politicians, news media, and special interest groups use fear to sell their products, ideas and influence. Often they manipulate statistics, misuse studies or lie to create a sense of impending doom in order to get a large segment of the population to act in a way they want the public to act. “The short answer to why Americans harbor so many misbegotten fears is that immense power and money await those who tap into our moral insecurities and supply us with symbolic substitutes.”
These peddlers of damage our nation in several ways. First, they cause us to spend money to prevent dangers that are either not real or remote. For example, airlines are forced to spend more money for airline safety when air travel is the safest mode of transportation already. Second, they divert money and attention away from the real problem. Instead of wasting money on more air safety, money should be spent to reduce drunk driving, the number one cause of transportation fatalities. Third, it creates needless stress and turmoil, reducing the quality of life in our country.
There is no epidemic of kidnapping, child pornography, air disasters, road rage, postal shootings, or husband abuse. Instead, we should focus on poverty, education, guns and other more pertinent issues that are the real source of our nation’s problems. Time, energy and money should be spent on the real problems, not on these fantasy issues.
Think twice before buying into a fear campaign. Limit your exposure to news programs. Evaluate every message that uses statistics to create a sense that things are going from bad to worse and your money or support is needed to stem the tide. Fear is a powerful motivator, and the media, the government, religious organizations, corporations and special interests groups are using it on you to manipulate you.
For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” (Romans 8:15)
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. (2 Timothy 1:7)
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Life Lessons 8
The eighth life lesson is Anger. We often let old anger build up until it explodes. Anger is helpful if it is processed properly. Anger propels us to action and forces us to clarify boundaries. Anger is a warning system that something is wrong. It is a signal that something is out of sync with our value system.
Anger is only an emotion; we don’t need to be afraid of it. It is a feeling that we must allow ourselves to experience. We need to get in touch with our feelings of anger, not by thinking about them but by feeling them in our bodies. When we allow ourselves to experience anger then we can channel it productively to healthy expressions.
We are not our anger. Anger is not our identity. You must see yourself as separate from your anger. Don’t allow anger to take over your personality.
When anger is internalized instead of expressed properly it slowly destroys us. Internalized anger is manifested as depression and guilt. Anger cannot be suppressed without it affecting us in some negative way. Depression can be dealt with only when the anger is externalized and dealt with.
Anger is merely a manifestation of fear. It is easier for us to express anger than fear, so we often convert fear into anger. When we explode with anger we may make ourselves feel better temporarily, but we usually make the surface problem worse and don’t solve the underlying issues caused by fear.
We must learn healthy ways to externalize our anger or it will destroy us. Anger will come out sooner or later. The more you suppress your anger the more dangerous it is. The key is not in denying anger or suppressing it but in expressing it in constructive ways and then forgetting it.
God is big enough to handle our anger. Often we become angry with God but we don’t know how to express it. However, if we express our anger in reverential ways, God understands. Many of the psalms are expressions of anger and disappointment to God. Use the psalms as a pattern for letting your anger out in proper ways. When we accept our anger and other people’s anger, then we are able to heal each other. Anger is healed only by patient love.
Anger is only an emotion; we don’t need to be afraid of it. It is a feeling that we must allow ourselves to experience. We need to get in touch with our feelings of anger, not by thinking about them but by feeling them in our bodies. When we allow ourselves to experience anger then we can channel it productively to healthy expressions.
We are not our anger. Anger is not our identity. You must see yourself as separate from your anger. Don’t allow anger to take over your personality.
When anger is internalized instead of expressed properly it slowly destroys us. Internalized anger is manifested as depression and guilt. Anger cannot be suppressed without it affecting us in some negative way. Depression can be dealt with only when the anger is externalized and dealt with.
Anger is merely a manifestation of fear. It is easier for us to express anger than fear, so we often convert fear into anger. When we explode with anger we may make ourselves feel better temporarily, but we usually make the surface problem worse and don’t solve the underlying issues caused by fear.
We must learn healthy ways to externalize our anger or it will destroy us. Anger will come out sooner or later. The more you suppress your anger the more dangerous it is. The key is not in denying anger or suppressing it but in expressing it in constructive ways and then forgetting it.
God is big enough to handle our anger. Often we become angry with God but we don’t know how to express it. However, if we express our anger in reverential ways, God understands. Many of the psalms are expressions of anger and disappointment to God. Use the psalms as a pattern for letting your anger out in proper ways. When we accept our anger and other people’s anger, then we are able to heal each other. Anger is healed only by patient love.
Life Lessons 7
The seventh life lesson is Fear. Pain produces growth. Without pain there is no development and transformation. [While listening to this I passed a billboard advertising the Marines: "Pain is weakness leaving the body."] Pain is also weakness leaving the soul.
There is more to life than what we let ourselves experience. We let fear keep us from doing things that would add meaning and value to our lives. Fear in the midst of danger is healthy, but false fear cripples us and keeps us from reaching our true potential. Fear is: False Evidence Appearing Real. What we fear is an illusion created by our mind. Remember, fear doesn't stop death-it stops life. Very little of what we fear ever happens to us, so why let fear stop us?
Love always overcomes fear. All emotions flow from either love or fear. Every positive emotion has love at its root and every negative emotion has fear as its root. Every moment you must choose whether to act out of love or out of fear. Most of us act out of fear but we can, and must, learn to act out of love.
Fear is based on the past or the future while love is based on the present. Fear focuses on self while love focuses on others. To live in the present is to live in love. When you are afraid, focus on the positive and not the negative. Focus on helping others instead of protecting yourself. Freedom comes when you choose to do what you fear, when you reach out in compassion to help others. Fear and love cannot coexist at the same time, so the only way to overcome fear is to act out of love in the present moment.
There is more to life than what we let ourselves experience. We let fear keep us from doing things that would add meaning and value to our lives. Fear in the midst of danger is healthy, but false fear cripples us and keeps us from reaching our true potential. Fear is: False Evidence Appearing Real. What we fear is an illusion created by our mind. Remember, fear doesn't stop death-it stops life. Very little of what we fear ever happens to us, so why let fear stop us?
Love always overcomes fear. All emotions flow from either love or fear. Every positive emotion has love at its root and every negative emotion has fear as its root. Every moment you must choose whether to act out of love or out of fear. Most of us act out of fear but we can, and must, learn to act out of love.
Fear is based on the past or the future while love is based on the present. Fear focuses on self while love focuses on others. To live in the present is to live in love. When you are afraid, focus on the positive and not the negative. Focus on helping others instead of protecting yourself. Freedom comes when you choose to do what you fear, when you reach out in compassion to help others. Fear and love cannot coexist at the same time, so the only way to overcome fear is to act out of love in the present moment.
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