Few new truths have ever won their way against the resistance of established ideas save by being overstated.
Isaiah Berlin, reminding us of the value of stating truths over and over, even if you fear you are just preaching to the converted.
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Samizdata quote of the dayMay 3rd, 2006 |
 20 comments to Samizdata quote of the day |
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I’m not so sure. I suspect a lot of new truths get accepted because the old idea has taken enough rope to hang itself.
Take the now established ideas of the “environmental movement”. Ideas like “we’re consuming too much”, “global warming”, “resources are not shared fairly between the peoples of the world”…
Let’s just take global warming. What if, in fifty years time it’s been seen as a crock to keep Greenpeace in tie-dyed shirts and all those bloody windmills prove the disaster they’re bound to be… There will be an almighty backlash.
It might be a depressing viewpoint, but perhaps humanity progresses as much through failure as success.
Nice one Johnathon.
Please may I claim orignination of a variant: Few new untruths win their way, save by being repeated over and over again by government or other monied vested interest.
Best regards
Some ideas just die of their own idiocy, like the “ozone hole”, although that cost billions before it exposed itself as an illusion. “Acid rain” was another myth that was used until it no longer cut any ice. I don’t think it will be too long before HIV=AIDS goes the same way. And “Oil comes from dinosaurs” is another. As is “Immigrants take jobs Americans won’t do.” It’s often best to just let stupidity run its course. Attempts at debunking may actually stimulate opposition and lead to stubborn re-assertion of the received wisdom. If in fifty years it’s no warmer than it is today, who will believe in global warming?
Oil doesn’t come from dinosaurs. It comes way before that!
Acid rain is a myth? And HIV is too? Are you denying they exist or denying that they are a problem?
The latter is a reasonable opinion, the former is, err, symptomatic of a little too much time spent on certain websites.
J, I was about to say the same thing but wanted to check his site first in case it was sarcasm that wasn’t coming over well.
Nope, doesn’t look like sarcasm.
And since you and Nick M have nicely done in most of the claims I might as well go for “Immigrants take jobs Americans won’t do” by reminding Mr Speirs of this little thing called the market, natives in both the US and UK require more money than immigrants for the same jobs and so take less of them. So yes immigrants do take jobs that americans won’t do for the money offered.
Hey wat do you guys think about this….
Moussaoui Evades Death, Receives Life in Prison
Between dinosaurs, HIV, acid rain and Moussaoui…
Is this a speed record for a thread going off topic completely?
Nick M… indeed.
Plus…
Given that the writers for this blog generally take a no-welfare state + free-markets + open-borders view of what would be the ideal state of affairs, I am not sure what your point is.
I read, then I read again, that quote from Berlin and I don’t think he is saying what Johnathan Pearce thinks he is saying: ie that he is “…reminding us of the value of stating truths over and over, even if you fear you are just preaching to the converted.”.
Berlin specificially uses the word ‘overstated’, which I take to mean making claims beyond those which can be substantiated by the facts.
In which case, I’d venture to suggest he was talking balls and that Nick M isn’t, when he (rightly) mocks the fashionable Leftist shiboleths such as man-made global warming.
I dunno, is there conclusive evidence one way or the other for global warming? What I tend to see is
1. Leftists desperate for an excuse to use their collective ideals flock to environmental issues.
2. Rightists who, for the most part, ignore or deny the theory because they know that if it turn out to be true, all bets are off on a standard notion of property rights because it will mean that doing anything at all (from running a business to breathing) causes incremental harm to everyone else around them, thus screwing up Mill’s “harm principle” and making liberty incoherent.
Genuine scientsts seem divided on the matter. And I am not tempted to come down on one side of it just because my libertarian leaninngs WANT me to ignore it so that it doesn’t create problems for my outlook.
Between dinosaurs, HIV, acid rain and Moussaoui…
Is this a speed record for a thread going off topic completely?
Depends whether you are a young earth creationist or not. It is clear to me that this thread was created entire at 12:01am to test our faith in the rational individualist metacontext.
Adding in the knee jerk division into right and left means we now have the full complement of responses to any post. Any further discussion is redundant.
I have my own take on the ozone layer. What they said is mostly true. What matters is what they did NOT say. For example, the claim that a single molecule of CFC will destroy umpteenth ozone molecules. True enough, but they conveniently forget to mention that the product of that reaction, oxygen molecules, serve as the reactants for ozone production in the first place!
My students were shocked when I showed them the complete ozone cycle, but it really piqued their interest. I don’t care if I’m repeating myself. It’s always fun to keep poking holes in the orthodoxy.
TWG
nic,
It’s more complicated than that. Here are another two further questions about global warming – which is definitely happening at the moment.
1. Is it our fault – fossil fuels and all?
2. Is there anything we can do about it?
I suspect 1 is almost impossible to answer. The climate is incredibly complicated and interacts with the ocean, the biosphere and cycles of solar activity. I suspect it’s almost hubristic of mankind to suggest that we can alter that dramatically by chucking another log on the fire.
2. Well, no there isn’t. If the greenies are right all the predictions show that even if everyone hit their Kyoto targets it would just shave a little bit off the temperature rise.
PS.
“definitely happening at the moment”. I refer recent records which have shown a moderate increase in mean global temperature – which is not necessarily the same as the start of any kinda apocalyptic scenario.
I’d craft an overly verbose blather about something if I could figure out what this thread is supposed to be aimed at, other than an open, pick your own subject type deal.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
The earth, by the by, is in a warming phase that has been going on since the little ice age a few hundred years ago. Many times in the geologic past the climate was much warmer than it is now, and there is no “crisis” in the fact that it is wobbling back towards warmer again.
Anyway, does anyone know why I keep getting shooting pains in my left ankle?
Maybe ’cause your taking the safety of before you draw your pistol?
Actually, Mid, I think it has something to do with the two teenagers in my house. The pain used to occur somewhat higher, right above my leg, but those pain receptors are obviously exhausted, so the sensations have moved to a new location.
Like it or not. Truth is never easy when everyone expects words the way they’re said now. Im new here and I dont trust anyone only I believe in my experieances, the truth behind them, no matter how much of a losing battle it might seem, Ive passed the truth to others, Its up to them to pass it then. Because no matter what were dealin with our free will.
Its our world. Keep telling the truth and trust your hearts, do good, keep fighting for whats right the cool and peacefull way, Because its all very simple 1+1=2+1= etc……I trust zamisdata, and sooner or later were going to have to show our numbers, Im pure good right now and without fear of Idealisms established by thows who control delegates of this country who offset the popular vote. That is a kill shot if were to ne noticed and respected and understood.
Im an American Liberal or whatever, Im ready for desease controlling companies to go out of business.
In place of them will be truthfull smiles. We’ll look evil for being good. Lastly , when someone like Isaiah Berlin speaks from the gutt like that , this should remind everyone theres more like him everywhere, ready to focus good energy better then even him because good overcomes evil everytime!!!!