Steve Salmony wrote: > As a way of beginning, it would help if you reconsider the research to > which I am drawing attention. Then, perhaps, you will have gained more > understanding these data. Once that step has been accomplished, please > respond to the science in a time-tested, sensible way. Simply refute > the data in what you call Hopfenberg's pseudo-scientific attempt.
The data may be correct but Hopfenberg's use of it is wrong. For one, he's confusing correlation with causality -- a basic mistake. And then he's confusing causes with effects, quantity with quality, and important with unimportant parameters. No wonder his conclusions are wrong too. As long as the third world is EXporting food for 400 million people to the EU (with an obesity epidemic and below-reproduction rates), the claim that food availability determines population growth is beyond silly. > The story-telling of Daniel Quinn is wonderful; but it is not science. > No one I know would make such an assertion. That statement comes to us > out your head, not mine. Actually, I didn't claim that Quinn's stories are science. I wrote: "Hopfenberg has attempted to provide a (pseudo-)scientific basis for Daniel Quinn's genocidal nonsense". But you're also wrong that no one you know would suggest it was science: In fact, Hopfenberg himself did that, by citing Quinn's _fiction novel_ like it was a sci paper!: Hopfenberg & Pimentel wrote in their paper "Human Population Numbers as a Function of Food Supply": | Our position is that population growth, the prime environmental problem | affecting all ecological, biological, and non-living systems, is a function | of increasing food production (Quinn, 1992, 1996, 1998a; Pimentel, 1966, | 1996). The cited references of Quinn are his novels "Ishmael", "The Story of B" and a speech on Earth Day. What kind of science does Hopfenberg produce when his BASIC POSITION is based on a fiction novel ? Well, at least he didn't cite Quinn's other novel, "Beyond Civilization: Humanity's Next Great Adventure" -- sick! Who are we (humans) to have a gorilla tell us how to organize society? Quinn's stories might be funny as a parody on esoterical new-age BS, but unfortunately he's serious! And his fans like you take him seriously. But I can't take that seriously, sorry. > The life and work of the great man, HRH Prince El Hassan bin Talal, > President of the Club of Rome, deserves your consideration. He has many > published writings and is well-known for a multitude of good works. The > imprecise, shallow way of including him in your denunciation is as > unfortunate as it is unjustified. What exactly were the Prince's environmental accomplishments, beside playing polo in international competitions? How about using some of his royal money to fund the development of renewable technologies? He sure has enough sun in Jordan... Sincerely, Chris ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SpamWall: Mail to this addy is deleted unread unless it contains the keyword "igve". _______________________________________________ Futurework mailing list [email protected] http://fes.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework
