Okham’s Razor – Shaving Climate Change…
The Barbers tool of common sense
Climate change; anthropogenic global warming, holes in the Ozone layer, polar ice caps melting, or the ice age incoming. What about rising CO2 levels and other greenhouse gas emissions? Is the globe cooling or is it heating up? Are all these factors caused by man, or is this just a cyclical bump spawned by Mother Nature’s slightly skewed sense of humour? The debates are endless and frustrating. Views and opinions are thrown back and forth like a Wimbledon final with an almost constant merry-go-round of deuce and advantage AGW! For those that don’t know AGW stands for anthropogenic global warming, meaning that it’s influenced primarily by humanity. Acronyms maybe the biggest threat to enlightenment in the 21st century, but I digress, again.
So who is right?
Evidence and statistics can be used to support all of these arguments, and frankly this doesn’t help at all. Any first year degree student knows that any essay can be tailored towards a specific end; evidence can be cherry-picked to the exclusion of contrariness, in an attempt to provide a certain hypothesis. Statements and observations are of course subjective, and couched in a public language which relies upon bias, conventional paradigms and theoretical arguments. Basically I mean that when we make a statement, any kind of statement i.e
“The pram is fallingof the cliff”
We are suggesting within our language, and particularly within this statement, ideas regarding notions such as gravity through the term ‘falling’.These theories although generally agreed upon and accepted are still essentially hypothetical. For anyone who wants a really good and informative book regarding this then I would suggest looking at What is this thing called Science?By A, Chalmers.
Enter Okham’s Razor – Humanities guide to common sense…
The principle states that the explanation of any phenomenon should make as few assumptions as possible, eliminating those that make no difference in the observable predictions of the explanatory hypothesis or theory. When multiple competing hypotheses are equal in other respects, the principle recommends selecting the hypothesis that introduces the fewest assumptions and postulates the fewest entities. It is in this sense that Okham’s razor is usually understood. Essentially Okham’s razor suggests using humanities greatest gift, that being the use of common sense in the light of overwhelming, and often contradictory, evidence and opinion.
The growth of humanity has seen the globe change dramatically since the birth of civilization. Species have become extinct, vast tracks of forests and land have been mutilated and stripped out in man’s search of resources. Rivers have been diverted for irrigation, oceans have been polluted and lakes have been destroyed by acid rain. Factors that effect the environment also reciprocally affect humanity, causing food and water shortages, and increasing global poverty which affects millions of humans’ everyday. Mankind has caused a detrimental effect upon the world’s climate and environment – FACT – it’s undeniable.
The use of Okham’s razor to cut through all the arguments regarding climate change is perhaps the most sensible way in determining whether or not humans are responsible for world-wide climate change. As the video below shows, surely we cannot take the chance that we are wrong, clearly it would be in mankind’s best interest to start living a fitter, greener lifestyle; as the consequences of not doing anything could result in a cataclysmic catastrophe of epic proportions, and no-one really wants that, do they?
3 Comments to “Okham’s Razor – Shaving Climate Change…”
Good article – plenty of food for thought.
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