[Mgs] OT : Tesla - in the flesh!!

[Max Heim]

My point was, if we are going to talk about the costs/benefits of
emissions-free vehicles as an issue at all (pro-Tesla or anti-Tesla), we
have to include the climatic effects of CO2.

Otherwise, you can easily skew the argument in favor of fossil fuel vehicles
(inefficiencies of transport, point sources of pollution, etc.).

Deriding climate change as a "belief" as opposed to "knowledge" is
essentially akin to deriding evolution as a "mere theory". It is a
rhetorical device for devaluing an evidence-based scientific position. You
can dispute the actual evidence; you can propose an alternative theory; but
merely calling it a "belief" is not an argument, it is dodging the issue.

I don't "believe" anything (in this sense) -- I am provisionally convinced
by the body of evidence. For some propositions, such as "what goes up must
come down", it has attained the force of habit. The trick is to not let that
happen indiscriminately, as in these examples:  "home prices will continue
to climb" or "capital markets can grow indefinitely". Or "the atmosphere can
absorb an indefinite amount of CO2 without consequences".




on 2/27/09 9:54 AM, Rick Lindsay at rolindsay at yahoo.com wrote:

> 
> LOL!  There will be no winning this argument, or even talking about it,
> because BELIEF is stronger than knowledge.
> 
> rick
> 
> 
> --- On Fri, 2/27/09, Max Heim <max_heim at sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> 
>> From: Max Heim <max_heim at sbcglobal.net>
>> Subject: Re: [Mgs] OT : Tesla - in the flesh!!
>> To: "MG List" <mgs at autox.team.net>
>> Date: Friday, February 27, 2009, 11:39 AM
>> on 2/27/09 8:41 AM, Rick Lindsay at rolindsay at yahoo.com
>> wrote:
>> 
>>> And of course, all of this makes the assumption that
>> CO2 really is a bad
>>> thing.  The plants certainly love it...
>> 
>> 
>> Well, if you choose to take that attitude, in the face of
>> all scientific
>> evidence (that is, scientific evidence not paid for by oil
>> and coal
>> lobbies), then there is no point continuing the discussion
>> (unless we move
>> it to the Flat Earth list).
>> 
>> 
>> --
>> 
>> Max Heim
>> '66 MGB GHN3L76149
>> If you're near Mountain View, CA,
>> it's the primer red one with chrome wires

--

Max Heim
'66 MGB GHN3L76149
If you're near Mountain View, CA,
it's the primer red one with chrome wires