Koonin's "Unsettled"? Ill-advised, or liar for hire? (reviewing Boslough's review)

 I’ve been haphazardly collecting and reading some articles regarding the latest media darling of the climate science denial crowd, Steven (he’s a real, if dishonest, scientist) Koonin.  It’s to be a followup to Ben Santer’s article and intended to be a bibliographic Student Resource for those curious about the disingenuous game Koonin has been playing for years.

Then a couple days ago I read the following “critical review” - at SkepticalScience.com, it was reposted from Yale Climate Connections and written by the respected Mark Boslough - and it’s been haunting me since, so I’ve decided to purge it from my system by posting Boslough’s unedited article, with a few additional thoughts.

Boslough, admits to being a good friend of Koonin.  Indeed his review, is more about understanding and forgiveness for Koonin’s unfortunate excesses, along with K’s failures in judgement and character.  Rather than an honestly critical examination of the malicious lies Koonin repeats like a wind up doll.  

Where Boslough sees an unfortunate, to be pitied, I see a malicious liar for hire.  

Someone who should be exposed and shamed for his wanton disregard for honesty and our children’s futures.  Instead, we get yet another example of dancing by the contrarian’s drum beat.

I share the article as written thanks to their generous CreativeCommons repost permission.  I did add bold and red highlights to single out specifics.  I also share a few thoughts of my own in green print.

This is intended for students who are sick and tired of old white guys getting away with this sort wanton deception.  Students who are already busy trying to figure out how to confront the fire hose of disinformation … (continued after Boslough’s article)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A critical review of Steven Koonin’s ‘Unsettled’

Posted on 1 June 2021 by Guest Author at SkepticalScience.com

This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Mark Boslough

I would normally ignore a book by a non-climate scientist promising “the truth about climate science that you aren’t getting elsewhere.” Such language is a red flag. 

But I’ve known the author of “Unsettled” since I took his quantum mechanics course as a Ph.D. student at Caltech in the 1970s. He’s smart and I like him, so I’m inclined to give his book a chance.

But smart scientists aren’t always right, and nice guys are still prone to biases – especially if they listen to the wrong people. 

Kerry v Massie, A Study in Democratic Party Failure. April 9, 2019

We must learn from our failures!  Case in point John Kerry’s implosion under Congressman Massie’s deliberately cynical and distracting questioning on April 9, 2019.  Here I propose an alternative version of how that exchange could have been turned into a winning moment for rationalism, constructive learning and honest science, rather than descending into the waste of precious time it turned into.

It takes more than superficially knowing climate science bullet points.  You need to internalize the understanding behind those bullet points.  This is impossible without a deep appreciation for our climate engine’s evolutionary story.  

You must also anticipate the GOP’s repetitive juvenile misdirection and the rhetorical dirty tricks they have honed to perfection over the decades.

{This is also an open letter that I sent off on May 3rd to 

GOP Massie’s three offices.  It begins with the following.}

Honorable US Representative Thomas Massie, 

I am an engaged student of Earth Sciences and since our global heat and moisture distribution engine, read climate system, dictates global environments, climate sciences has become central to my pursuit of understanding our beautiful magnificent Earth and her life story.  I’m simply a student, but I’ve been at it five decades now, so I know a thing or two.

I believe in constructive honest debate as opposed to theatrical political debate.  This exercise is a combination of sincere letter to you where I answer the questions you raised, in the hope you learn something;   > a direct challenge and examination of your malicious rhetorical games;   > along with an examination of Secretary John Kerry’s text book example of why Democrats keep losing;  > and of course, as always, a personal learning project.

Incidentally, it’s worth pointing out that it requires a serious appreciation for our planet’s deep-time evolution, a prerequisite, before any true understanding of our global heat and moisture distribution engine is possible.  I build my presentation around the video of your April 9th performance. 

A response would be appreciated.

Sincerely, 

Peter Miesler

aka Citizenschallenge

near Durango, Colorado

{I suspect GOP's Congressman Massie will hide, they aways do, but should I get a response I’ll be sure to share it here.}

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DSi2gzIkHM

John Hyndman and the handy dandy character assassination strategy

I’ve been in a dialogue with one John Smith under an old YouTube video about aspects of the CO2 cycle understanding ca. 2001.  I have some posts about highlights almost, but not quite, ready to put up.  However there was this odd tidbit that occurred which I believe is worth quickly posting because it gets to the heart of GOP’s ruthless ME FIRST mentality in action and how it needs to stifle constructive learning dialogue.  The very thing I’m trying to expose and hopefully to help force into the public discourse this election season.

__________________________________________________

John Hyndman, July 2, 2018 writes: citizenschallengeYT LOL! I never even watched the video, it just appeared on my playlist one day. YT's algos sometimes offers totally irrelevant videos. Example: Teenage make-up application tips or how to braid hair. WTF does a 60 year old man give a shi_ about that stuff for?

Notice the tactic, focus on the messenger, study, invade, look for anything, not finding, make it up, who cares.  Trashing is the goal.  Winning is all that matters in this new GOP world of ME FIRST.

Hyndman’s actions/words underscore the punk nature of his myopic worldview.  Avoid the real issues and questions, trash all messengers, stifle, or out scream every attempt at constructive educational dialogue.  

Create a storyline out of one’s own filthy imagination, give it wings.  John Hyndman and pals this is supposed to be about understanding our living planet and the biosphere all of us depend on.

Science is about studying and learning, but all you want is a mud fight in order to ignore reality.  { I’m told I’m rude, okay Smith, talk about rude, what about Hyndman here and his thuggish attempt to derail the discussion??? }

This is the sort of stuff that serious science communication has been dealing with for decades.

Think Seitz, Singer, Lindzen god-fathers of science by slander and rhetorical misdirection who started all this.