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On 12/6/17 10:00 AM, Jeff via Marxism wrote:
My main concern in these regards is that leftists, especially Marxists
who proudly (and justly!) assert that our understandings are
scientifically supported, do not make fools of themselves when it comes
to the hard sciences. If you're not really sure about a scientific fact,
then please just say so and don't try to conclude that scientific claims
which happen to favor your political agenda are valid for that reason.
Because if you do, then in the end what you claim to be a "Marxist"
position will be disproved by what is properly concluded using the
scientific method, and all claims we make within the social sciences
will appear no more trustworthy than our careless claims in the hard
sciences.
- Jeff
The problem is with cancer, however. Trying to find an environmental
smoking gun is virtually impossible. Cancer clusters are just one
example. Put yourself in the position of a breast cancer victim living
near a nuclear power plant. You are shit out of luck.
Even if the data indicates higher than usual contamination, how can you
establish it led to thyroid or breast cancer?
The same thing is true of pesticides and herbicides. How can you
establish that Monsanto is guilty of jeopardizing our health by selling
products that after leaching into the soil cause bladder cancer, was the
case with Sandra Steingraber?
You can certainly prove that drinking a fifth of whiskey every day can
cause cirrhosis of the liver but what kind of experiment can prove that
living near Indian Point causes thyroid cancer? It is only
"circumstantial evidence".
Meanwhile, the best course of action is to overthrow the capitalist
system and build a society based mostly on alternative energy sources.
Even if the evidence is only circumstantial, that's no reason to risk
the health of the human race.
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