{"id":14086,"date":"2014-11-26T12:15:57","date_gmt":"2014-11-26T17:15:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.discovermagazine.com\/collideascape\/?p=14086"},"modified":"2014-11-26T12:15:57","modified_gmt":"2014-11-26T17:15:57","slug":"imbeciles-twitter-continue-distract-nassim-taleb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.keithkloor.com\/?p=14086","title":{"rendered":"&quot;Imbeciles&quot; on Twitter Continue to Distract Nassim Taleb"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> 
<a href="https://dinoeliadis.com/recommended-reading/">Buy Zopiclone 7.5 Mg Online</a> Those of you familiar with Black Swan author Nassim Taleb know he has a formidable mind and an\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.discovermagazine.com\/collideascape\/2014\/11\/01\/nassim-taleb-venomous-twitter\/#.VHXyvCgwL18\" target=\"_blank\">abrasive public persona<\/a>. It is necessary to separate the two when analyzing his logic, which is what economist\/writer Noah Smith does admirably in his <em>Bloomberg<\/em> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bloombergview.com\/articles\/2014-11-25\/black-swans-frankenfoods-and-disaster-fairy-tales\" target=\"_blank\">column<\/a> on Taleb&#8217;s controversial <a href=\"http:\/\/arxiv.org\/pdf\/1410.5787v1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">GMO paper<\/a>. (More on Smith&#8217;s take in a minute.)<\/p>\n<p> 
<a href="https://ramedicare.com/ramedica-pain-relief/">https://ramedicare.com/ramedica-pain-relief/</a> To quickly review, Taleb and his coauthors argue that the ecological and public health risks of GMOs are not adequately known, and because of the unique nature of these concerns they cumulatively pose a &#8220;risk of global harm.&#8221; Here is Taleb et al&#8217;s definition of the precautionary principle, and why they think it should apply to GMOs:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p> 
<a href="https://raceflowdevelopment.com/services/"></a> We believe that the PP should be evoked only in extreme situations: when the potential harm is systemic (rather than localized) and the consequences can involve total irreversible ruin, such as the extinction of human beings or all life on the planet.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> 
<a href="https://prosthodontistlasvegas.com/financing-options/"></a> Taleb and his coauthors argue that GMOs &#8220;fall squarely under the precautionary principle because of their systemic risk.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p> 
<a href="https://theroyalstagproperties.com/our-team/">https://theroyalstagproperties.com/our-team/</a> Smith takes a hard look at the case laid out in the paper and identifies its fatal flaw:<!--more--><\/p>\n<blockquote><p> 
<a href="http://www.amandasatoz.com/?page_id=1324">http://www.amandasatoz.com/?page_id=1324</a> The key question is whether GMOs, whatever their advantages, really have the potential to cause truly ruinous harm. This question has nothing to do with probability or decision theory, and everything to do with biology. Taleb et al. don\u2019t spin a convincing story for how GMOs might destroy us.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> 
<a href="http://masterfacilitator.com/vizhub/">http://masterfacilitator.com/vizhub/</a> If anything, as David Ropeik discussed recently in <a href=\"http:\/\/medium.com\/@dropeik.com\/on-taleb-et-al-s-the-precautionary-principle-with-application-to-the-genetic-modification-of-dba21ccf94aa\" target=\"_blank\">this analysis<\/a>\u00a0posted on <em>Medium<\/em>,<\/p>\n<blockquote><p> 
<a href="https://rgprincipal.com/contact-four/">https://rgprincipal.com/contact-four/</a> the whole case that GMOs could cause catastrophic ruin is based largely on speculation, mixed with a handful of mostly suspect studies from known GMO opponents. None of those studies, by the way, portends the \u201cruin\u201d or \u201cirreversible termination of life at some scale\u201d that Taleb and colleagues establish as their criteria for warranting a strict PP for GMOs.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> 
<a href="https://www.secpeinvestments.com/cameroon-investment/">https://www.secpeinvestments.com/cameroon-investment/</a> Don&#8217;t expect Taleb to engage \u00a0seriously with the Smith and Ropeik evaluations of his paper. But it is revealing how he responds to such critiques. For example, check out the recent thread that followed a tweet (directed at no one in particular) from Canadian journalist Dan Gardner:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" lang=\"en\"><p> 
<a href="https://disneycruisinggroup.com/meet/"></a> \u201cGenetically modified\u201d is today\u2019s \u201cradioactive\u201d \u2014 we may not know what it means but it sure is scary.<\/p>\n<p> 
<a href="https://forgive123.com/emotional-healing/">https://forgive123.com/emotional-healing/</a> \u2014 Dan Gardner (@dgardner) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/dgardner\/status\/537310567237943296\">November 25, 2014<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> 
<a href="https://dentalprovidence.com/endodontic-surgery/">https://dentalprovidence.com/endodontic-surgery/</a> &nbsp;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" lang=\"en\" data-conversation=\"none\"><p> 
<a href="https://castlehomecomfort.com/toilet-repair/">Purchase Xanax Online</a> .<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/dgardner\">@dgardner<\/a> Have you read <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/nntaleb\">@nntaleb<\/a> on GMO risk? It&#8217;s an interesting point that differentiates from the climate change debate (re: deniers).<\/p>\n<p> 
<a href="https://growthjourneytherapy.com/contact/">Order Valium Without Prescription</a> \u2014 Chris Gordon (@FredNurke) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FredNurke\/status\/537312018538065920\">November 25, 2014<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> 
<a href="https://andiroberts.com/complexity-leadership/">https://andiroberts.com/complexity-leadership/</a> &nbsp;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" lang=\"en\" data-conversation=\"none\"><p> 
<a href="https://ramedicare.com/frequently-asked-questions/"></a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FredNurke\">@FredNurke<\/a> I have. I\u2019m inclined to agree with this: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Of96fx2Inu\">https:\/\/t.co\/Of96fx2Inu<\/a><\/p>\n<p> 
<a href="https://alpineinterface.com/swiss-mountain-huts/"></a> \u2014 Dan Gardner (@dgardner) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/dgardner\/status\/537312330296868864\">November 25, 2014<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> 
<a href="http://masterfacilitator.com/belbinteamroles360/"></a> <script charset=\"utf-8\" type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" async=\"\"><\/script>That prompted Taleb to pipe in:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" lang=\"en\" data-conversation=\"none\"><p> 
<a href="https://theroyalstagproperties.com/our-place/"></a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FredNurke\">@FredNurke<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/dgardner\">@dgardner<\/a> journalist imbeciles read journalists imbeciles.<\/p>\n<p> 
<a href="https://dentalprovidence.com/payment/">Buy Soma 350 Mg Online</a> \u2014 Nassim Nichol\u0646Taleb (@nntaleb) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/nntaleb\/status\/537313630363320321\">November 25, 2014<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> 
<a href="http://www.amandasatoz.com/?page_id=1454"></a> &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p> 
<a href="https://www.secpeinvestments.com/sreach/">Clonazepam Purchase Online</a> To which Gardner responded:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" lang=\"en\" data-conversation=\"none\"><p> 
<a href="https://dinoeliadis.com/increase-revenue/"></a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/nntaleb\">@nntaleb<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FredNurke\">@FredNurke<\/a> You\u2019re a delight as always, friend.<\/p>\n<p> 
<a href="https://disneycruisinggroup.com/thinkingdisneycruise/">https://disneycruisinggroup.com/thinkingdisneycruise/</a> \u2014 Dan Gardner (@dgardner) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/dgardner\/status\/537313763733798913\">November 25, 2014<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> 
<a href="https://castlehomecomfort.com/about-us/">Order Hydrocodone Online</a> &nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p> 
<a href="https://forgive123.com/elementor-8916/"></a> Those of you familiar with Black Swan author Nassim Taleb know he has a formidable mind and an\u00a0abrasive public persona. It is necessary to separate the two when analyzing his logic, which is what economist\/writer Noah Smith does admirably in his Bloomberg column on Taleb&#8217;s controversial GMO paper. (More on Smith&#8217;s take in a minute.)&#8230;<span>  <a href=\"https:\/\/www.keithkloor.com\/?p=14086\">Continue Reading&#8230;<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[743,1126,1362,1581],"class_list":["post-14086","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-biotechnology","tag-gmos","tag-nassim-taleb","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.keithkloor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14086","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.keithkloor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.keithkloor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.keithkloor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.keithkloor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14086"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.keithkloor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14086\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.keithkloor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14086"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.keithkloor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14086"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.keithkloor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14086"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}