Earlier quoted context omitted.
Nature is a socialist.
Socialism is terrible at managing natural resources.
Unbridled capitalism is terrible at managing pollution and damage to the environment. :)
CEO Wanted University Scientists Dismissed Over Link Between Fracking and Quakes
11–20 of 57 posts
Re: CEO Wanted University Scientists Dismissed Over Link Between Fracking and Quakes
#12Coal mines cause earthquakes as well [1]. Not sure if anyone has ever used that as a reason to stop doing it.
[1] http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/01/070103-mine-...
Re: CEO Wanted University Scientists Dismissed Over Link Between Fracking and Quakes
#13Earlier quoted context omitted.
Socialism is terrible at managing natural resources.
Unbridled capitalism is terrible at managing pollution and damage to the environment. :)
Crony Capitalism is great at privatizing profits and socializing losses (particularly those to the environment).
Re: CEO Wanted University Scientists Dismissed Over Link Between Fracking and Quakes
#14Re: CEO Wanted University Scientists Dismissed Over Link Between Fracking and Quakes
#15Corruption like this is where the mob mentality of social media should come down on people with the temerity to try such shenanigans.
People are great at dumping a ton of bricks on their neighbor who muttered a faux pas du jour, get them fired over uncorroborated claims, but important things, substantiated things like this, and all that righteousness of masses evaporates and only but a few care to express disapproval.
This kind of corrupt behavior needs to become unpalatable and intolerable, not just a cause du jour.
Re: CEO Wanted University Scientists Dismissed Over Link Between Fracking and Quakes
#16One of the biggest problems with politics is that politicians need to raise a lot of money to get (re)elected. That money comes with strings attached, which makes it difficult for our politicians to make good decisions. I had never considered that the same problem exists in academia, but apparently it does. Hamm has donated tens of millions to the University of Oklahoma, and it's pretty obvious he's trying to use his…
> the same problem exists in academia
This problem isn't unique to this story. As examples, look up Confucius Institutes or the Koch brothers (yes, them again) funding of colleges and programs.
It's not unique to private funds; federal funding is controlled, ultimately, but Congress, which brings politics into the mix. Public universities are ultimately controlled by state governments. Finally, politics affects schools directly; probably not many administrators want to sacrifice their futures to protect an unpopular professor. I'd be interested in seeing how our colleges and acedemics fared during the McCarthy witch hunts.
Re: CEO Wanted University Scientists Dismissed Over Link Between Fracking and Quakes
#17What is the point of research / science if we dismiss it at the cost of generating money?
I find myself asking this question all the time. I feel that capitalism shouldn't be the end goal, with a profit motive. It got us to where we are today, but I do not think it is going to take us where we need to go now or in the future.
Re: CEO Wanted University Scientists Dismissed Over Link Between Fracking and Quakes
#18One of the biggest problems with politics is that politicians need to raise a lot of money to get (re)elected. That money comes with strings attached, which makes it difficult for our politicians to make good decisions. I had never considered that the same problem exists in academia, but apparently it does. Hamm has donated tens of millions to the University of Oklahoma, and it's pretty obvious he's trying to use his…
>I'm surprised it isn't working.
Certain very direct actions may not work, but the ability for this funding to slowly corrupt the science produced is still very much a risk and the ability for the rich to influence the very discoveries that science makes is still something to be feared.
Re: CEO Wanted University Scientists Dismissed Over Link Between Fracking and Quakes
#19Re: CEO Wanted University Scientists Dismissed Over Link Between Fracking and Quakes
#20One of the biggest problems with politics is that politicians need to raise a lot of money to get (re)elected. That money comes with strings attached, which makes it difficult for our politicians to make good decisions. I had never considered that the same problem exists in academia, but apparently it does. Hamm has donated tens of millions to the University of Oklahoma, and it's pretty obvious he's trying to use his…
Vice versa, you are surprised that academia is working.