Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself.
–The Bible, Proverbs 26:4
The saying has taken many forms over the years, including being expressed as “don’t argue with an idiot, people looking on might not be able to spot the difference”. The more persuasive you try to be, the less convincing you will sound to an outsider, because onlookers have no idea what you’re talking about.
If we try to argue any complex system using linear thinking and statistics, we risk sounding like an idiot because complex systems, like ideas, thoughts or opinions, can’t be explained as such.
“Dynamic, self-regulating systems wholly defy a logical explanation that uses step-by-step arguments” –James Lovelock, Novocene
The fact science will never be able to completely describe how the climate or biodiversityWhat is the definition of biodiversity? When we ask, what is the definition of biodiversity? It depends on what we want to do with it. The term is widely and commonly misused, leading to significant misinterpretation of the importance of how animals function on Earth and why they matter a great deal, to human survival. Here I will try to More works is hard enough for scientists to grasp, so imagine how easily non-scientists can be befuddled by this paradox?
It’s the exact same reason why you will find few prominent scientists wishing to engage in an argument with climate sceptics. Why would they? No-one can win that argument and everyone comes out looking like a greater fool.
