SOCIAL: Fwd: The Power of the Internet - The Logic of a Sitcom

[adrian cotter]

Isn't that a straw man attack, Randall?

His initial premise is that there is certain level of reasonableness  
to the proposition that global warming exists.

There is very little reasonableness to the idea that we might be  
subjected to an invasion from ETs. No debates at the UN (so far as I  
know), no IPAI (international panel on alien invasion) Reports, no  
questions in presidential debates on the subject. As sad as it is for  
me to say, there is no hard evidence of any aliens out there at all,  
let alone ones who like us with a nice Chianti.

Whereas, in terms of global warming, there is at least evidence that  
our climate does indeed change, and can have drastic consequences for  
the planet and people even.

However, I would be willing to help you do a response video :-)
-- he could strengthen his argument a little I think. Think of all  
the fun we could have with tinfoil hats.

Adrian

On Dec 21, 2007, at 12:02 AM, Randall Isaac wrote:

>     Unfortunately, comments have been disabled for this video.  The
> presenter asked for the flaw in his argument,  so here it is:  the
> problem is that he leaves out all the probability calculations and
> opportunity costs for the choices, and without them, the argument is
> meaningless.
>
>     Allow me to illustrate:  let's say I use his 4-box method to  
> analyse
> a call for a national emergency plan to protect our planet from  
> invaders
> from the Andromeda Galaxy.  I demand that tinfoil hats be  
> distributed to
> all 6 billion humans plus 10,000,000 handheld laser disintigrator
> weapons be developed in a giant Manhatten project to give to our  
> armies
> to defend us.
>
>     I will use the following argument: either we are invaded by  
> spacemen
> or we are not.  If we do spend $500 billion on weapons and there is no
> invasion then all we've done is waste the money (that could have been
> spent on other things like global warming); but if we don't spend the
> money and we are invaded, the result is world domination by the
> Andromedens and all of us eventually rounded up and eaten with some  
> fava
> beans and a nice Chianti. Nothing less than the survival of mankind is
> at stake; therefore it's completely obvious that we should spend the
> $500 billion and start wearing our tinfoil hats immediately.
>
> Pass this along to all of your friends.
>
> Randall
>
> Brooke Kuhn wrote:
>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDsIFspVzfI
>>
>> This is definitely worth watching.
>> Keep it moving too.
>>
>>
>>
>> -- 
>> Brooke Kuhn, MS, CHES
>> 143 San Carlos St.
>> San Francisco, CA 94110
>> 415.252.9047
>> BrKuhn at post.harvard.edu <mailto:BrKuhn at post.harvard.edu>
>> --------------------------------------------------------------------- 
>> ---
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Social mailing list
>> Social at lists.deeptrouble.com
>> http://lists.deeptrouble.com/listinfo.cgi/social-deeptrouble.com
>>
> _______________________________________________
> Social mailing list
> Social at lists.deeptrouble.com
> http://lists.deeptrouble.com/listinfo.cgi/social-deeptrouble.com