Ok, let us back up a bit and define the term 'anthropogenic'; the Merriam-Webster Online dictionary defines it as "of, relating to, or resulting from the influence of human beings on nature" .
Now let us break up my relatives' query into some definitive questions that would need to be answered, and suggest an order in which they may be tackled.
- one, is the global climate undergoing change?
- two, is the global climate warming, cooling, or remaining statistically average?
- three, is mankind contributing to climate change in any way?
- four, if mankind is contributing to climate change in any way, is there a way to reduce, nullify, or reverse any anthropogenic changes?
Well, these four "small questions" have the potential to develop into an enormous research project. How does one even consider tackling issues like this? Where do you start? What pitfalls lie ahead? What standards do you apply to interpreting research? What part does philosophy play in this quest? Is anyone attempting to mislead me? What sources are trustworthy? Where will I encounter people with hidden agendas?
In face of the enormity of the questions and the potential for encountering intellectual quicksand at many turns, I answered my relative's question thusly: while I've kept in touch with some of these issues in a superficial manner for over two decades, to really deal with the competing viewpoints and information available I'm going to dedicate the next two years to finding out what I can to make an intelligent response to your question.
Yikes! What was I thinking of when I responded? Who on earth can add a two year long research project to their lives? Like many of you I work 40+ hours a week, have family commitments and do volunteer work. When will this research fit in to my life?
Well, the answer is: in bursts! Yet, during the last 7 months I've read several hundred pages of research papers put out by climatologists, physicists, chemists, and meteorologists. During this time frame it has been fruitful to delve into dozens of web sites, scores of blogs, and even engage in email discussions. I've "travelled the world" in this research reading articles from Canada, England, Germany, Australia, South Africa, the United States, and another half dozen other countries.
I've also been surprised at some of the things discovered along the way: namely,
- some people with evidence of an education display an appalling lack of intellectual honesty,
- a lot of evidence of disingenuous arguementation,
- noted ignorance of the simple logical fallacies in their presentation of arguements,
- a willingness to ignore (and conceal) presuppositional paradigms in theory development.
Now, this above post does suggest a couple of things about me and my perspective that I've not revealed. Firstly, I graduated from Western Kentucky University with a B.A. in Philosphy & Religion. My philosophical education trained me in deconstructing logical arguementation and illuminating logical fallacies. Secondly, I've been passionately engaged in the study of meteorology and weather for over 35 years. Finally, my passionate commitment to the "truth", drives all of my intellectual interests. My intellectual roadmap does not illustrate all of the waypoints on that map. I'm going to travel to where the search for truth leads.
Ok, this is all for now..... there will be more forthcoming.
Blessings,
Rod
