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EXCESSIVE SKEPTICISM. "Skepticism is good, but dogmatic skepticism may not be. Skepticism helps us discover the truth; excessive skepticism may obscure the truth." Understatement can be so refreshing. http://lnkd.in/drM44hZ View in LinkedIn

GREAT EXAMPLE OF PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE Nov 2, 2014. "Climate change is happening, it's almost entirely man's fault and limiting its impacts may require reducing greenhouse gas emissions to zero this century, the U.N.'s panel on climate science said Sunday." http://lnkd.in/dNiUzMW View in LinkedIn

RESPONSIBLE SKEPTICISM. "The scientific method is central to skepticism. The scientific method requires evidence, preferably derived from validated testing. Anecdotal evidence and personal testimonies generally don't meet the qualifications for scientific evidence, and thus won't often be accepted by a responsible skeptic." http://skeptoid.com/skeptic.php View in LinkedIn

JOSEPH GUTH on the cost-benefit analysis, which enjoys a special status in U.S. law and policy. "U.S. law was designed to promote economic growth ... faced with uncertainty, ignorance or doubt, the law presumes that economic growth should continue - until an explicit cost-benefit analysis can show conclusively that the costs to society outweigh any benefits." http://www.multinationalmonitor.org/mm2009/032009/interview-montague.html View in LinkedIn

SKEPTICISM. "The true meaning of the word skepticism has nothing to do with doubt, disbelief, or negativity. Skepticism is the process of applying reason and critical thinking to determine validity. It's the process of finding a supported conclusion, not the justification of a preconceived conclusion." http://skeptoid.com/skeptic.php View in LinkedIn

TOXIC MIX: LAWYERS, 'EXPERTS', AND RISK. "Product defense consultants ... have increasingly skewed the scientific literature, manufactured and magnified scientific uncertainty, and influenced policy decisions to the advantage of polluters and the manufacturers of dangerous products." http://lnkd.in/d3RYjh7 View in LinkedIn

DOUBT IS THEIR PRODUCT. "Doubt is our product," a cigarette executive once observed, "since it is the best means of competing with the 'body of fact' that exists in the minds of the general public. It is also the means of establishing a controversy." http://lnkd.in/d3RYjh7 View in LinkedIn

DAVID MICHAELS "who was the head of occupational safety and health in President Clinton’s ... examples showing how industries stack the deck against regulation of their products. From the tobacco, lead and asbestos industry cover ups to the Vioxx debacle and global warming, from chromium to beryllium and popcorn lung, industry follows a familiar pattern." http://forum.thefreedictionary.com/postst59380_-Doubt-is-Their-Product----Is-Your-Country-Attacking-Science-.aspx View in LinkedIn

SUBVERTING DEBATE is not limited to moneyed interests, but includes extreme religious and political positions (belief, power and money are usually intolerant drivers). Creationism, global warming, fracking, environmental issues, have all become fair game for legions of folk happy to create smoke-screens of doubt about opposing views. View in LinkedIn

DIRTY TACTICS are the characteristics of some memorable American corporation fights with their own public. These include tobacco, asbestos, lead, fluoride, chlorine, and various pharmaceuticals. In all instances, moneyed interests sought to subvert an honest debate by hijacking truth, manufacturing doubt, and playing a well funded PR game. View in LinkedIn