Category Archives: advocacy

Maybe a little science denial is actually in order?

Posted on December 27, 2021 by ...and Then There's Physics

I ended up in a brief discussion on Twitter with Matthew Nisbet, Professor of Communication, Public Policy, and Urban Affairs at Northeastern University, and Sander van der Linden, Professor of Social Psychology in Society at the University of Cambridge. Matthew Nisbet … Continue reading →

Posted in advocacy, Environmental change, Policy, The philosophy of science, The scientific method | Tagged , , , | 140 Comments

Speaking out

Posted on July 22, 2021 by ...and Then There's Physics

Bill McGuire, who is Professor Emeritus of Geophysical & Climate Hazards at UCL, has written a post suggesting that climate scientists should speak out more and that they should Come down off the fence and choose the path you know, … Continue reading →

Posted in advocacy, Climate change, Climate sensitivity, Scientists | Tagged , , , , | 85 Comments

Some reflections on (corona) truth wars

Posted on June 9, 2021 by ...and Then There's Physics

I wrote this in response to a paper by Jaron Harambam called The Corona Truth Wars, published in a journal called Science and Technology Studies. I submitted it to this journal but it was (desk?) rejected because they felt that … Continue reading →

Posted in advocacy, Climate change, Philosophy for Bloggers, Policy, Scientists, The scientific method | Tagged , , , , , | 59 Comments

The is-ought distinction

Posted on May 21, 2021 by ...and Then There's Physics

There was an interesting panel discussion, as part of Andy Revkin’s #SustainWhat webcast, involving Naomi Oreskes and Mike Hulme. Andy was highlighting it because of what Naomi Oreskes was saying about people staying in their lanes. There can be a … Continue reading →

Posted in advocacy, Philosophy for Bloggers, physicists, Policy, Scientists, The philosophy of science | Tagged , , , , , , | 55 Comments

Do lockdowns work?

Posted on April 21, 2021 by ...and Then There's Physics

Preamble: I wrote this post for another site that was considering myth-busting type posts, which is why it’s written in the third person. However, the myth-busting part of the site never really took off, so I thought I would post … Continue reading →

Posted in advocacy, Philosophy for Bloggers, Research | Tagged , , , , | 22 Comments

Honest brokering

Posted on October 13, 2020 by ...and Then There's Physics

I thought I might follow up on my previous post, with a brief discussion of an article by Sonia Sodha called [t]he anti-lockdown scientists’ cause would be more persuasive if it weren’t so half-baked. I found it interesting partly because … Continue reading →

Posted in advocacy, Climate change, ClimateBall, Roger Pielke Jr, Scientists | Tagged , , , , , | 88 Comments

Wilfrid’s Bro

Posted on October 7, 2020 by Willard

Sometimes people message me on teh tweeter. Here’s a chat from this summer, with a friend I will call Wilfrid. His lines start with a Capital, mine are lower case and in italic. * * * Willard help, my brother … Continue reading →

Posted in advocacy, We Are Science | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Cancel culture?

Posted on July 9, 2020 by ...and Then There's Physics

The talking point in social media at the moment (in my bubble, at least) seems to be the letter on justice and open debate, signed by 150 luminaries. It’s not been universally well-received. There was some quite measured comments in … Continue reading →

Posted in advocacy, Personal, Philosophy for Bloggers | Tagged , , , , | 397 Comments

Mitigation, adaptation, suffering

Posted on June 6, 2020 by ...and Then There's Physics

I’ve been struggling, more than usual, to find things to write about. Everything seems to just be a bit of a mess. The pandemic itself, how it’s been handled in some cases, and the protests in the USA, especially how … Continue reading →

Posted in advocacy, Climate change, Climate sensitivity, Philosophy for Bloggers | Tagged , , | 41 Comments

Across the lines

Posted on May 31, 2020 by ...and Then There's Physics

I haven’t really come across anything to write about recently. I’ve been thinking a bit about models and how they are used to inform decision making. I’ve been thinking a bit about the use of scientific advice. I also had … Continue reading →

Posted in advocacy, Personal, Philosophy for Bloggers, Policy, Politics | Tagged , | 20 Comments