Just a day after I posted my thoughts on the failure of politics, I came across a most perfect illustration of the point I was trying to make in it.
I suffered through the full two hours and forty-three minutes of a US Senate hearing on climate science chaired by Senator Ted Cruz.
When the likes of Jonathan Adler ask the question: What would it take to convince us, there is a lot implied in it.
To start with, the question takes it for granted that the theory is correct and AGW exists, meaning that we are responsible for it. The question was: what will it take to make conservatives take it seriously, most likely so that they can start participating in the quest to find a solution. Maybe I am paranoid, but I also felt a hint of “what will it take to get to your senses” in the question as well.
(George Orwell)
I have been asked the question several times: “You don’t believe in global warming???” Usually accompanied with an incredulous look or a huff and a smirk with the unspoken comment (“I thought you are smarter than that”)
Then I have to start explaining why the very question is a problem for me. I AM NOT A BELIEVER!