We Used Terrible Science to Justify Smoking Bans.

[deathmetal]

It goes happily on. But allow me to remind that these studies cannot discover cause. It is always an outside assumption of what is causing the noticed reductions and increases, because why? Because the thing said to be doing the causing is never measured on individuals! Repeat that out loud, to yourself and the nearest stranger. Asserting cause in these cases is always by fiat or direct assumption—which is cheating.
http://wmbriggs.com/post/21057/

This had always been my critique. The statistical techniques used never identified actual cause.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

It's never 100% about the science. We know that there are tons of negative issues with pot, with very good studies, but... We also have tons of studies showing the negative impact of the internal combustion engines...

There is just a large faction of folks that were affected negatively by a cigarette in their youth.

 

[deathmetal]

They need therapy! Poor things. It's not good to let a childhood fear take over a lifetime.

 

[robwoodall]

Correlation implies the existence of a relationship between variables, without proving the nature of the relationship. In other words, correlation cannot be used to prove causation.
That's fully understood by scientists, even if it's not understood by policy makers and the media.
That's not the same as "terrible science." It might very well be terrible policy, but no scientist in the history of ever has banned smoking.

 

[toobfreak]

Likewise, some have used skewed science to support the case for man-made global warming. It always comes down to getting the data that you want to support the conclusions you are after . . . .

 

[aldecaker]

I always use skewed science to support my case. The more outlandish the bullshit story I am telling, the more likely I am to pepper it with "scholars maintain" or "scientists have proven". Works like a charm, really.

 

[ashdigger]

When I was in college I worked in a research wing of a university and the very first thing I learned, after being issued my spiffy lab coat, was that in order to survive we have to have GOVERNMENT grants. The process of being awarded grants is sausage making to the extreme and you're always beholding to the grant issuer. We were doing work at Lake Mead here in Nevada and all of our work needed to support certain water policies and it's pretty shitty what people do to get their "paycheck".
Science has been for sale and always have been.

 

[perdurabo]

Nope, scientist have never banned smoking, but who paid for the study?

 

[cally454]

^^^yep. wish I'd gotten into carbon offsets. Guess there's several billion dollars in it when you save the planet.

 

[perdurabo]

I can skew science, dupe you all and convince you that the Unvisrse actually only exist in my Arse. Remove the goalpost, FreeScience from itself.

 

[perdurabo]

I think every person who sued and won any lawsuit against Tobacco should have to pay it back.
"Fair is Fair!" - Billie Jean Davy

 

[downinit]

I knew this topic would come around to this:

Likewise, some have used skewed science to support the case for man-made global warming. It always comes down to getting the data that you want to support the conclusions you are after . . . .

Actually it's the fossil fuel companies and politicians who have used skewed data to try to debunk the steadily growing evidence that man-made climate change is happening. how do we know co2 is causing warming

absurd-claim-climate-scientists-in-it-for-the-money

 

[wyfbane]

In before the lock.

 

[clickklick]

My air purifier creates ozone. . . so in a way, I'm helping do my part!
LOL.

 

[perdurabo]

Uh ohh, we got a religious zealot here, Man-Made Climate Change!
Co2 is heavier than air, downinit. Poor Co2, an essential life gas gets scapegoated just like second hand smoke, by Secular believers of a faith born in Marxism. Give us a break :roll:
And then the link, the link! :rofl:

 

[aldecaker]

What is tobacco smoke's overall contribution to man-made global warming? I wouldn't think it has any larger of a carbon footprint than any other commodity that is farmed and transported.

 

[downinit]

perdurabo: Better than being a conspiracy theorist who has his head up the &^^& of the fossil fuel companies!
This is not Marxism or Communism or Fascisism or Naziism.... It is actual science!

 

[davet]

In before the lock.

Me too :rofl:

Man-Made Climate Change

:rofl:

 

[ashdigger]

I'm going to deny I'm in before the lock.

 

[downinit]

Man-made Climate change denial :crazy: