"How then do you defend against charges that you’re an
activist?
I am an activist. I want the world to be a better place, and I define
specifically what I mean by that: If one group, the rich, benefits from an
activity like dumping their waste in the atmosphere and the other group,
the poor, are hurt by it and don’t get much benefit, that’s an inequity.
Therefore, in my value system, that’s a higher criteria for action than
aggregate dollars. I don’t have aggregate dollars as my moral principle. I
TNR Q&A: Dr. Stephen Schneider Page 6 of 10
look at who’s responsible. But I never say that without admitting that
those are my values. So, that’s activism. "
(http://stephenschneider.stanford.edu/Publications/PDF_Papers/New_Republic_TNR_QA_Schneider.pdf
"On the one hand,as scientists we are ethically bound to the scientific method, in effect promising to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but- which means we must include all doubts, the caveats, the ifs ands and buts.
On the other hand, we are not just scientists but human beings as well. And like most people we'd like to see the world a better place, which in this context translates into our working to reduce the risk of potentially disastrous climate change. To do that we need to get some broad based support, to capture the public's imagination. That, of course, means getting loads of media coverage. So we have to offer up scary scenarios, make simplified dramatic statements, and make little mention of any doubts we might have.
This 'double ethical bind' we frequently find ourselves in cannot be solved by any formula. Each of us has to decide what the right balance is between effective and being honest. I hope that means being both."
No comments:
Post a Comment