Now on ScienceBlogs: Charles Darwin February 12, 1809 - April 19, 1882
Taking science by the throat... climate, rowing, and misc.
My family and me.
More...
Make sure you're familiar with the Comment Policy
Confused by my constant use of abbreviations? Then you need the Glossary
| Co-moderator of globalchange mailing list | Subscribe to globalchange |
| Browse at groups.google.com | |
« Sea level rise? | Main | Yet another bunch of people kicking the IPCC »
Category: misc
Posted on: March 13, 2009 6:19 PM, by William M. Connolley
I claim to have originated the label "septic" for the malodourous end of the skeptic range, and I have the evidence (in fact I can go back further) for the context-less jonny-come-latelies.
I also claim "going emeritus" [1], but admit I got that from Jack Vance (the Languages of Pao, possibly the only (sci-fi?) book about societal control by choice of language, err, except for 1984 of course).
TrackBack URL for this entry: http://scienceblogs.com/mt/pings/101977
dynamics of cats 02.10.2012
greg laden's blog 02.09.2012
the pump handle 02.09.2012
dean's corner 02.09.2012
erv 02.09.2012
Comments
No questioning the 2004-12-07 usage, but it is not clear that the Oct 22 2004 is intentional ;-)
Very well then ... I shall play Leibnitz to your Newton, Wallace to your Darwin; the text is amended as follows:
"Stoat has taken umbrage (a fine purgative, good for gout, shingles, and high in vitamin D) at perceived plagarism of his coining of "septic" to refer to Deniers.
He offers the indisputable evidence of "The septics are cr*p (part XVII...)" and "Septics and skeptics; denialists and contrarians", although his "REALITIES OF GLOBAL WARMING" reference is a bit dubious, it may be a typo ;-)"
[That will do nicely. Though I can assure you it was never a typo! -W]
Posted by: greenfyre | March 13, 2009 8:52 PM
I generally don't like the way people like to label others in debates. I think people should get to label themselves.
This echoes abortion where each side wants to frame the language. Ideas should be debated on their merits, not on coming up with clever names for people we don't agree with.
Posted by: Nicolas Nierenberg | March 13, 2009 9:24 PM
@ Nicolas Nierenberg
As I say in my post, and Mark Hoofnagle points out Climate change deniers: failsafe tips on how to spot them: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2009/mar/10/climate-change-denier
They DO label themselves, by their actions, which folk wisdom suggests is a greater authority than their words.
Posted by: greenfyre | March 13, 2009 10:47 PM
What about the book Babel-17 for use of language to shape people?
[Could be, but I have a vague memory of finding that book too irritating to finish -W]
Posted by: who cares | March 14, 2009 7:37 AM
George Orwell was wrote earlier about how the use of language shaped people, but that goes back at least as far as Machiavelli
Posted by: Eli Rabett | March 16, 2009 9:51 PM
#2, that's a nice thought but you sometimes end up with both sides giving themselves very generous labels.
For instance, I could say that everyone on my side of any debate is on the "Correct" side. :)
Posted by: Lobster | June 5, 2009 9:49 AM