Dr. Kirsten Sanford (one of the Skeptologists, for those of you who may be interested in seeing more critical thinking, science and reason on TV), writing at her blog, The Bird’s Brain, A Response to Cali’s Weekend Twitter Circus:
I spend my time paying attention to as much of the science media as I can, and the reality is that the reporting on climate change is dominated by the few scientists who disagree with each other. The rest of the science world is doing what they do best… their jobs. And, the science supports the consensus.
[emphasis added]
An excellent observation, and climate change is not the only area where this is the case (evolution is another that readily springs to mind). It’s always been this way, of course, (how many times have you heard the aphorism, “the squeaky wheel gets the greese”?) but many people just don’t recognize it.
I just want to remind people that science is never based on the work or the opinions of one person. Science is not a petition. It is based on data-based consensus over time. So, while it might be useful to read Roy’s book as Cali suggests, it is also good to look for other books and articles by many other authors before forming an opinion.
Unfortunately, the issue has been so politicized that people do have opinions whether or not they know anything about climate science because of the emotions involved. I have a basic understanding of the science involved, but I leave the details to the experts, those working on the science. I try to temper my own opinion with the understanding that I don’t know everything on this topic.
[emphasis added]
Again, sound like any other area of science that you can think of?
It is good to be skeptical, but not to the detriment of reason. Sometimes skeptics forget to poke holes in their own arguments. I don’t think science is about skepticism. It is about critical thinking, which is necessary for proper support of skepticism. Yes, be a skeptic, but look at as many sides of an issue as you can, and remember that there are probably others that you have not considered. An opinion is just that, an opinion, not a statement of fact. We all have them, but that doesn’t make us experts.
