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Take the presentation data and contrast it against the longterm patterns seen in temperature [1]. This presentation absolutely omits information and relies on e

Take the presentation data and contrast it against the longterm patterns seen in temperature [1]. This presentation absolutely omits information and relies on emotional manipulation to imply facts that are not in evidence -- in particular that the change in temperature is unprecedented and practically linear. This is literally selective sampling to present a misleading picture -- the identical behavior in our little metaphor. If you genuinely think you're right, you don't suddenly turn to something very much bordering on falsehoods to make a point. In any discussion the strength of an argument is generally going to be measured based on the strength of its weakest point. And arguments, such as this article presents, are incredibly weak as they appear to be deeply misleading when one is presented with big picture data. And suddenly everything you've ever said becomes tainted, even if the other 99% of it was completely and wholly accurate. [1] - http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/Global_temperature_relative_to_peak_Holocene_temperature,_based_on_ocean_cores_(NASA).png http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/Global_te...

mikeash 8y ago
Ironic to complain about misleading visualizations and then link to a graph covering the last 800,000 years to imply that the recent change is just business as usual.
- TangoTrotFox 8y ago
  Do you not see the extremely recurrent pattern? One that has been occurring since before humanity even existed? This is really what makes things so incredibly challenging, and also why articles like this are presenting data in a less than honest fashion. We are undoubtedly going through a cyclical upswing as part of a regular cycle of climatic activity, but at the same time we're also adding a significant amount of additional CO2 to the cycle. The point is that it would be negligent for people to not consider human activity as a contributing factor, but it is no less negligent for people to not understand that we're also going through an ongoing warming phase that would have happened even if we were a 0 carbon output species. What would change is not the warming, but the magnitude. Instead, like on so many topics in the social media era, people 'pick sides' and radicalize on these issues. And media like this is published to help further the radicalization. All the while in this process people on both 'sides' ends up voluntarily retarding their own logic and reasoning by working backwards from a predetermined conclusion instead of working from the breadth of data towards whichever conclusion (or lack thereof) that they find the most logical position.

mikeash 8y ago

Ironic to complain about misleading visualizations and then link to a graph covering the last 800,000 years to imply that the recent change is just business as usual.

TangoTrotFox 8y ago
Do you not see the extremely recurrent pattern? One that has been occurring since before humanity even existed? This is really what makes things so incredibly challenging, and also why articles like this are presenting data in a less than honest fashion. We are undoubtedly going through a cyclical upswing as part of a regular cycle of climatic activity, but at the same time we're also adding a significant amount of additional CO2 to the cycle. The point is that it would be negligent for people to not consider human activity as a contributing factor, but it is no less negligent for people to not understand that we're also going through an ongoing warming phase that would have happened even if we were a 0 carbon output species. What would change is not the warming, but the magnitude. Instead, like on so many topics in the social media era, people 'pick sides' and radicalize on these issues. And media like this is published to help further the radicalization. All the while in this process people on both 'sides' ends up voluntarily retarding their own logic and reasoning by working backwards from a predetermined conclusion instead of working from the breadth of data towards whichever conclusion (or lack thereof) that they find the most logical position.