John Atcheson

Society

Dark Ages Redux: American politics and the end of the Enlightenment

We are witnessing an epochal shift in our socio-political world. We are de-evolving, hurtling headlong into a past that was defined by serfs and lords; by necromancy and superstition; by policies based on fiat, not facts.

Much of what has made the modern world in general, and the United States in particular, a free and prosperous society comes directly from insights that arose during the Enlightenment.

Too bad we’re chucking it all out and returning to the Dark Ages.

June 19, 2012

Review of the must-read book: Merchants of Doubt

In Merchants of Doubt, Naomi Oreskes and Erik Conway take us on a fascinating trip down what they call Tobacco Road. Take the journey with them, and you’ll see renowned scientists abandon science, you’ll see environmentalism equated with communism, and you’ll discover the connection between the Cold War and climate denial.

July 15, 2010

Hotter, faster, worser

Over the past several months, the normally restrained voice of science has taken on a distinct note of panic when it comes to global warming.

February 23, 2006

Methane Burps: Ticking Time Bomb

If we trigger this runaway release of methane, there’s no turning back. No do-overs. Once it starts, it’s likely to play out all the way.

December 15, 2004

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