Scientia Potentia Est
Most fanatical greens don’t like greens – the ones on the golf course, not the ones in a potential donor’s wallet. They jeer with a severe grimace at the herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, and pesticides used on most golf courses.
I happened to play golf with a greenie a few weekends past, a friend of a friend of a relative.
He had a brazen personality and one could tell, like foolhardy, overly-arrogant criminals on a witness stand, that he was the smartest guy in the room or, in this case, the golf course. He decided to get somewhat political, his political convictions being quite obvious, so I asked him, “Do you believe in climate change?”
Except in front of my keyboard most mornings, I rarely discuss my writing or my passion to show that anthropogenic climate change is simply a hyped-up conduit for political power.
“Of course”, arrived the overly-dramatic retort.
“Why”, I queried.
“Because it’s true.” This arrived with an air of impregnable intellect as if his curt answer must surely suffice.
“OK, but specifically what do you know or think about that makes it true”
“Scientists have a consensus”.
“All of them”, I ask.
“Yes”
“OK – but as many climate scientists maybe more say human-generated climate change is not occurring; however, give me some science you know about climate change”.
“Well, I don’t know any just off the cuff, but I watch shows and read stuff.”
“Apparently Aesop’s Fables”, I thought.
I described how CO2 was only .04% of the atmosphere, a trace element, and human emissions attributed only .03% to .05% of that minuscule value. I talked about no increase in storms or intensity. I talked about the overall decline in temperatures over the last 22 years and how temperatures were massaged, manipulated, and bastardized. How the world was warmer over many periods in history and long before the industrial revolution.
His response was, “OK we’ll agree to disagree”. Conversation concluded.
In his mind, his superficial feelings weighed just as heavy as my facts – a very common concept with those illiterate on a topic - how often people optimistically cheer for irrelevant emotion that in their mind eclipses rational thought.
After the round, and as we shook hands, the friend of a relative smiled while the greenie suddenly remembered he had an important appointment and quickly scurried off.
“Scientia potentia est” is a common Latin adage for “knowledge is power” - not so for all – many have what I call an illusion of knowledge. In any event, a little while later, I simply sat back and did what all golfers ought to do at times like this – I ordered another beer.
Ironically, climate alarmists are akin to bad golfers - they incessantly yell, the equivalent of “Fore!”