Thanks to Erin Jeffries for spotting this piece on the seven signs of phoneyย science.
1. The discoverer pitches the claim directly to theย media.
2. The discoverer says that a powerful establishment is trying to suppress his or herย work.
3. The scientific effect involved is always at the very limit ofย detection.
4. Evidence for a discovery isย anecdotal.
5. The discoverer says a belief is credible because it has endured forย centuries.
6. The discoverer has worked inย isolation.
7. The discoverer must propose new laws of nature to explain anย observation.
Some of these don’t apply to the climate change โskeptics,โ although they often claim that they are standing up against a โpowerful establishmentโ of scientists and governments, all of whom have noticed theย obvious.
Some other rules mightย be:
8. Follow the money. Ask yourself if there is profit to be made in touting one unlikely scientific claim overย another.
9. Be wary when someone uses an obvious truth (i.e., โthe weather is variableโ) to bolster an unsustainable conclusion (โclimate change isย unpredictableโ).
