Category Archives: Sociology of science

Academic freedom and scholarship: perspective from Canada

Posted on April 29, 2021 by | 70 comments

by Pamela Lindsay

Mentorships by professors of students are among the vital functions of a university. Here I expose the vulnerable underbelly of mentorship and one possible threat to academic freedom and scholarship.

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70 Comments

Posted in Sociology of science

Uncomfortable knowledge

Posted on March 3, 2021 by | 197 comments

by Judith Curry

On the misuse of science and scientific authority.

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197 Comments

Posted in Policy, Sociology of science, Uncertainty

A climate of dialogue

Posted on February 12, 2021 by | 183 comments

by Judith Curry

A pacated dialogue between two serious thinkers who disagree about climate change.

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183 Comments

Posted in Sociology of science

What the pandemic has taught us about science

Posted on October 10, 2020 by | 285 comments

The scientific method remains the best way to solve many problems, but bias, overconfidence and politics can sometimes lead scientists astray

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285 Comments

Posted in Scientific method, Sociology of science, Uncertainty

How we fool ourselves

Posted on October 4, 2020 by | 268 comments

by Judith Curry

Crowd sourcing examples of fallacious thinking from climate science.

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268 Comments

Posted in Sociology of science, Uncertainty

Culturally-determined response to climate change: Part III

Posted on May 16, 2020 by | 55 comments

by Andy West

Climate change affirmative responses to all survey questions are culturally determined, and across National Publics related to religiousity.  Cultural attitudes inappropriately push climate policy.

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55 Comments

Posted in Sociology of science

Apparent Paradoxes in the relationship of Climate ‘Concerns, Skepticism, Activism, and Priority’, explained by Religiosity

Posted on April 27, 2020 by | 58 comments

by Andy West

Explores the contrast between Allied and Core belief in the culture of climate catastrophe, and the relationships of these plus religiosity to Climate Change Activism (XR and Children’s Strikes for Climate). Post 2 of 3.

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58 Comments

Posted in Sociology of science

Can religiosity predict cultural climate beliefs?

Posted on April 17, 2020 by | 168 comments

by Andy West

Probing the relationship between religiosity globally, and cultural beliefs in the narrative of imminent / certain global climate catastrophe: Post 1 of 3.

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168 Comments

Posted in Sociology of science

In favor of epistemic trespassing

Posted on April 14, 2020 by | 323 comments

by Judith Curry

On the importance of expertise from other fields for COVD19 and climate change.

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323 Comments

Posted in Sociology of science

Sunday fun: personality testing

Posted on April 5, 2020 by | 120 comments

by Judith Curry

And now for something different.

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120 Comments

Posted in Sociology of science

Legacy of Climategate – 10 years later

Posted on November 12, 2019 by | 387 comments

by Judith Curry

My reflections on Climategate 10 years later, and also reflections on my reflections of 5 years ago.

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387 Comments

Posted in Skeptics, Sociology of science

‘Alarmism enforcement’ on hurricanes and global warming

Posted on September 7, 2019 by | 129 comments

by Judith Curry

I used to be concerned about ‘consensus enforcement’ on the topic of climate change.  Now I am concerned about ‘alarmism enforcement.’

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129 Comments

Posted in Hurricanes, Sociology of science

Child prophets and proselytizers of climate catastrophe

Posted on July 29, 2019 by | 541 comments

by Andy West

The role of children in the culture of climate catastrophism

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541 Comments

Posted in Communication, Sociology of science

Climate scientists’ pre-traumatic stress syndrome

Posted on July 8, 2019 by | 166 comments

by Judith Curry

It’s getting worse.

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166 Comments

Posted in Sociology of science

Truth(?) in testimony and convincing policy makers

Posted on June 27, 2019 by | 155 comments

by Judith Curry

Some reflections, stimulated by yesterday’s Congressional Hearing, on the different strategies of presenting Congressional testimony.

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155 Comments

Posted in Politics, Scientific method, Sociology of science

Climate science’s ‘masking bias’ problem

Posted on June 21, 2019 by | 117 comments

by Judith Curry

How valid conclusions often lay hidden within research reports, masked by plausible but unjustified conclusions reached in those reports.  And how the IPCC institutionalizes such masking errors in climate science.

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117 Comments

Posted in Scientific method, Sociology of science, Uncertainty

Climate scientists’ motivated reasoning

Posted on June 19, 2019 by | 147 comments

by Judith Curry

Insights into the motivated reasoning of climate scientists, including my own efforts to sort out my own biases and motivated reasoning following publication of the Webster et al. (2005) paper

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147 Comments

Posted in Scientific method, Sociology of science

Why I don’t ‘believe’ in ‘science’

Posted on March 26, 2019 by | 153 comments

by Judith Curry

” ‘I believe in science’ is an homage given to science by people who generally don’t understand much about it. Science is used here not to describe specific methods or theories, but to provide a badge of tribal identity.  Which serves, ironically, to demonstrate a lack of interest in the guiding principles of actual science.” – Robert Tracinski

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153 Comments

Posted in Sociology of science

Climate hypochondria and tribalism vs. ‘winning’

Posted on February 7, 2019 by | 391 comments

by Judith Curry

Some reactions from Wednesday’s Congressional testimony.

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391 Comments

Posted in Policy, Sociology of science

Cliff Mass: victim of academic political bullying

Posted on December 12, 2018 by | 148 comments

by Judith Curry

There is a disturbing story coming out of the University of Washington surrounding Cliff Mass.

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148 Comments

Posted in Politics, Sociology of science

Politics of climate expertise

Posted on December 3, 2018 by | 339 comments

by Judith Curry

“Concerning the inability of expert knowledge to resolve environmental controversy and the pressing need for a pragmatic reframing of policy problems to allow for solutions based on bipartisan values.”

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339 Comments

Posted in Sociology of science

Admitting mistakes in a ‘hostile environment’

Posted on November 19, 2018 by | 262 comments

by Judith Curry

Reflections on Nic Lewis’ audit of the Resplandy et al. paper.

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262 Comments

Posted in Sociology of science

The catastrophe narrative

Posted on November 14, 2018 by | 421 comments

by Andy West

A narrative propagated by emotive engagement, not veracity.

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421 Comments

Posted in Communication, Sociology of science

The perils of ‘near-tabloid science’

Posted on July 22, 2018 by | 483 comments

by Judith Curry

A remarkable essay by  esteemed oceanographer Carl Wunsch.

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483 Comments

Posted in Sociology of science, Uncertainty

Voices of reason in the ‘climate wars’

Posted on June 10, 2018 by | 260 comments

by Judith Curry

A recent and worthy attempt to redefine the ‘front’ in the ‘climate wars’, which could lead to a truce and possibly pave the way for rational progress.

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260 Comments

Posted in Politics, Sociology of science