The lessons of “Climategate”

I've had many readers emailing me, asking what I think of the "trove" of emails unearthed from climate change researchers.  I'll admit I haven't read through the rather embarrassing revelations, I've only read a few media summaries and excerpts.  I see a few lessons:

1. Do not criticize other people in emails or assume that your emails will remain confidential, especially if you are working on a politically controversial topic.  Ask a lawyer about this, if need be.  "Duh," they will say to you.

2. The Jacksonian mode of discourse, or mode of conduct for that matter, can do harm to your cause, especially if you are otherwise trying to claim the scientific high ground.

The substantive issues remains as they were.  In Bayesian terms, if it turns out that many leading scientists do not practice numbers one and two, I am surprised that you are surprised.  It's very often that the scientific consensus "sounds that way."

In other words, I don't think there's much here, although the episode should remind us of some common yet easily forgotten lessons.

I should add that this episode will seem very important to you, if you conceive of the matter in terms of the moral qualities of "us vs. them."

Addendum: Robin Hanson offers a similar opinion.  I wrote my post before reading his, yet we come to the same conclusions I think.

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