rod mclaughlin


Truth and Motivation (20 apr 10)

One of the numerous logical fallacies employed by climate 'scientists' is the attack on their critics' motives (often wrongly confused with ad hominem attacks). Suppose climate sceptics, rather than climate 'scientists', really were paid by the oil industry. This would have no bearing on the accuracy of their results.

Suppose Einstein was motivated by Jewish resentment of white European dominance. It makes no difference - he overthrew Newton, whatever his motive. This article argues that the German government of World War I (obviously it was more intelligent in World War I than in World War II) recruited Einstein for patriotic purposes, to refute England's Newton.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Einstein_and_Eddington

Whatever his motives, whether Jewish, German, or Truth For Its Own Sake, he was right. That's all that matters. Never trust refutations of a position based on speculation about motives. Take Holocaust revisionism, for example. I mean, of course, don't trust Holocaust revisionists because of what they say about the motives of their opponents. Obviously...



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