A bit tongue in cheek about a serious subject.   It’s following from my comment to Dot Earth about how all the climate mitigation plans do actually allow for a mysteriously silly expectation that reducing CO2 could be funded by an economy causing all other economic impacts to endlessly multiply.

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Dateline: No York Times 5/12/10

Scientists admit to physical world

Scientists have finally admitted there might be a physical world, in addition to the existence of scientific theory, long used to explain the source of all information.

Despite there being no information to explain it, as theory is ample by itself, scientists admitted today that there was also no information to deny the popular notion that there might be a physical world.   It “could be creating natural phenomena and not just our theory” Dr Hyper Foible said.

The existence of theory has never been in doubt, as there have always been theories for everything.  Progress in science has always provided better and better theory too, proving that conclusively, and so explaining where all our information comes from.

Now it’s been admitted there might also be a physical world with its own causes and consequences as the source of some of our information too.  It has long been claimed by renegade scientists such as the odd stand-out on the question, False Henshaw.

Mr False, as everyone knows him, finally made his little point before being laughed off the dais at the “Wonderful world of science” meetings this month.   Everyone knew it was the to be the mother of all meetings, called to celebrate “the end of nature as we’ve known it”.   It caused a small commotion though, arousing the sleepy audience by pointing out that: “we all still do believe in reality, whatever science has ever had to say about it in theory”.

Just as he concluded his remarks “touché” rang out among all the exhausted house staff.  The the rude outburst then caught on, and became a pandemonium in the hall, repeated and then retracted by the whole assuming assembly, suddenly aroused by the commotion and all very eager to agree with each other.

When control of the meeting was restored to proper authority it was noted wittily that the assembly had indeed been unable to distinguish between what may have been a sneeze or the word “touché” which may have set off the panic.

Consequently, it was apparent that no one could tell if it was information or not that had set off the embarrassing unanimous admission.  Being thus evident, the possibility that lacking information might prove very little had to be briefly conceded to, as a technicality, before sweeping Mr. False off the stage and removing his credentials.

pfh