Comments on: Global Warming Skpetics: “Direct Correlation between Pirates and Global Warming”

By: Doxy

Doxy — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 22:17:08 +0000

Of course our Pirate population is directly responsible for our Earth’s temperature rise. I mean, after that graph, can there be any doubt?
To save the earth, the only green we need is scurvy.

By: flo

flo — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 23:46:02 +0000

Thanks Dave, i shall update my posting….

By: Dave

Dave — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 23:19:48 +0000

The use of rhetorical devices such as irony, parodies and quips are common and often effective presentation techniques, employed by many, scientists included. The Pirate slide is Hayden’s way of leading his argument; it is not the argument itself. The slide does not represent the crux of his presentation.

There are means through which his theory can be dismantled, but a criticism of his ironical flourish is not one of them. A more appropriate response is a defense of the anthropogenic origins of current CO2 emissions, weighed against Hayden’s assertions. The scientific evidence is staggering, but I will leave that explication to the scientists.

By: flo

flo — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 19:16:45 +0000

Hello Dave, thanks for your comment. Yes Hayden did use the slide titled with the adage “correlation is not causation“. He subsequently presented that global warming is not caused by human made CO2…. I think he’s using the graph to mock those who believe in climate change as how scientists are just making correlations randomly, as bad as the pirates/global temp correlation. That’s my thought….

By: Dave

Dave — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 19:02:14 +0000

Actually, if you look at Hayden’s presentation, he uses the Pirate/Global Temperature slide purely as a tongue-cheek illustration of the adage “correlation is not causation.” The graph was never meant to be taken seriously. The “Church of flying spaghetti monster” is also, in fact, a satirical attempt at discrediting the proponents of Intelligent Design. Don’t mistaken the rhetorical humour.