Is it possible people misunderstood Pianka?

[BurtWorm]

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2006/04/texas_academy_of_science_getti.php

Texas Academy of Science getting death threats over Pianka

Category: Politics • Science
Posted on: April 3, 2006 12:24 PM

The Pianka situation is getting very, very ugly. I've been chatting with a member of the Texas Academy of Science, and people there are getting death threats over it. Here's one example of the kind of email they're getting:

While Heinrich Himmler's "final solution" was limited to exterminating the Jews, Dr. Eric R. Pianka promotes a FINAL SOLUTION for 90% of earth's population. In accepting the 2006 Distinguished Texas Scientist award, Heir Pianka was interrupted with applause and received a standing ovation.

"Soylent Green is people." And the way cinema's futurist society dealt with over population was through the "Renewal Ceremony", where the inductees were secretly turned into FOOD for the remaining citizens.

AT LEAST THEY WERE TURNED INTO FOOD! Unleashing the Ebola virus on humanity, as publicly advocated by reptilian advocate Dr. Pianka, would result in billions of excruciating deaths and rotting corpses in the streets. Does such a position increase the esteem of the Texas Academy of Science? Is the Academy deem such a colleague as a visionary, exemplar, & eloquent

THIS IS AN OUTRAGE! For a scientific community, however provincial, to recognize Dr. Pianka sublimates wholesale genocide. His advocacy of the extermination of most human life on the earth flies in the face of natural selection, and is so patently absurd as to defy logical challenge. The Texas Academy of Science, her directors, fellows, and members, is DIMINISHED through close association with, and its elevation of, Dr. Eric R. Pianka.

If the Academy is to maintain public and professional credibility, it must censure Dr. Pianka and rescind his "Distinguished" status. Please use your personal and professional influence toward that immediate end.

Sincerely,

Keith M. Arnett

Keller, TX

The accounts from people who were there agree that Pianka was not encouraging the "unleashing" of viruses on people, but was warning of a likely natural result (and apparently, mentioning that this would be a great thing for the biosphere as a whole, despite its dire consequences for us). This is becoming a right-wing cause célèbre, however, and the leadership of the Texas Academy are facing a lot of hate and heat from the ignorant. If you've got a moment, you might want to contact a member or two of the Academy and mention your support.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

1. has anyone found a link to his work?

I thought maybe the whole thing could be misconstrued, but I'm reserving judgment until I learn more.

I've found a lot about lizards, but from someone who would have a hard time telling a lizard from a salamander from a gecko from a newt... I can't tell if he's a kook or not. :shrug:

[Heidi]

4. He's not a kook.

He's a widely respected biologist who teaches Evolutionary Biology at the University of Texas.

http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~varanus/eric.html

[Viva_La_Revolution]

9. ok, I read

"What nobody wants to hear, but everyone needs to know"

If this is what his speech said, then he was by no means advocating killing off 90% of the population on purpose.

Maybe we should look into this other guy, the one who wrote that article that got us all hotheaded. I wonder what HIS problem is.

[TreasonousBastard]

2. Lots of good comments on that blog...

and I'm adding my own teensy bit of support.

[rman]

3. That must be why Pianka didn't want his statements recorded

"Something curious occurred a minute before Pianka began speaking. An official of the Academy approached a video camera operator at the front of the auditorium and engaged him in animated conversation. The camera operator did not look pleased as he pointed the lens of the big camera to the ceiling and slowly walked away.

This curious incident came to mind a few minutes later when Professor Pianka began his speech by explaining that the general public is not yet ready to hear what he was about to tell us."
http://www.sas.org/tcs/weeklyIssues_2006/2006-04-07/feature1p/index.html

[Heidi]

6. Pianka has, in fact, explained his line of thinking.

http://www.kristv.com/global/story.asp?s=4720802

[Heidi]

5. Drudge Report smear of Pianka debunked here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=835733&mesg_id=835733

[Celebration]

7. If There is a Transcript of the Original Speech

Why Not Distribute it?

http://www.kristv.com/global/story.asp?s=4720802

David Marsh, president of the Texas Academy of Science, did not return telephone and e-mail messages seeking comment. No recording or transcript of either that speech or another delivered last Friday at St. Edward's University in Austin was available for review by the AP. The Gazette-Enterprise said it reviewed a transcript of the original speech, which was provided on the condition that it not be distributed.

Allan Hook, a St. Edward's biology professor who heard both speeches, said Pianka "wasn't so perhaps adamant in his own personal views of what he thinks might happen" in his second lecture.

But Hook declined to elaborate on what Pianka said in the earlier speech, which Pianka delivered while being honored as the academy's 2006 Distinguished Texas Scientist.

[theHandpuppet]

8. Here's an article on Forrest Mims, Pianka's vocal critic

I think some of you might find this quite interesting.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/tc/2005/001/19.46.html

[Heidi]

13. That's a guy with an agenda.

Thank you, theHandpuppet.

[Kailassa]

10. Pianka: "It's already too late,"

But Eric Pianka said Monday his remarks about what he believes is an impending pandemic were taken out of context.

"What we really need to do is start thinking about controlling our population before it's too late," he said. "It's already too late, but we're not even thinking about it. We're just mindlessly rushing ahead breeding our brains out."

http://www.kristv.com/global/story.asp?s=4720802

Riiight

Plank tells us there are too many people in the world.
He tells us it's already too late for population control.
He tells us that the best thing for humanity would be if a disease such as airborn ebola kills 90% of the population.
- in full knowledge that Ebola has probably been weaponised by now and that this could be done intentionally.

"Look everyone, there's a loaded gun in that closet and it will be the salvation of humanity if * gets shot." But no, I'm not advocating shooting anyone, I'm just pointing out the facts."


Of course I'd personally hate anyone to die.

but ...

[BurtWorm]

11. Are you advocating killing Pianka?

You know full well there are nuts out there who would take your post as permission to gun him down.

[Celebration]

14. no kidding

There are ALL SORTS of nuts out there--those that would gun down Pianka, and those who would take him so seriously as to try to release airborne ebola.

Unfortunately the world is full of nutty people, and it doesn't take much to send them over the edge.

[BurtWorm]

15. I was being ironic.

;)

Just because the world is full of people with black and white understanding of the world doesn't mean people with more nuanced views shouldn't risk putting them out there. A reasonable person would understand that Pianka was not advocating genocide but making an important point about the world as it is--i.e., seriously overpopulated for the resources available to the population to sustain themselves for much longer. Something is going to give. In a way, Pianka is "wishing" for the most humane (because indiscriminate and nonhuman-directed) solution to this problem.

[Viking12]

12. Nice strawman you've constructed.

the best thing for humanity would be if a disease such as airborn ebola kills 90% of the population.

Rather, Pianka "said he believes the Earth would be better off if the human population were smaller because fewer natural resources would be consumed and humans wouldn't continue to destroy animal habitats."

Population redcution doesn't necessarily mean killing people or hoping an infectious disease wipes them out. People do die naturally. By reducing fertility rates the global population could be sclaed back.

[DrGonzoLives]

16. Not likely so long as there is surplus food

When you have surplus food, you have more people. It's a recurring theme throughout history.

The only way, then, to restrict the birth rate would be through measures best described as fascist.

[Viking12]

17. Errrr. Wrong answer. Education is the #1 factor.

Many studies have found a significant correlation between education and fertility - as literacy improves, fertility rates tend to decrease. The fertility rate in Europe is about 1.4, well below the replacement rate. In the US about 2.1 (roughly the rate for stable population accounting for childhood death). Plenty of food in those cultures.

[Silver Gaia]

18. Transcript of Dr. Pianka's speech

from The Gazette-Enquirer of Seguin, Texas:

http://www.seguingazette.com/story.lasso?ewcd=3817403731ee3d74&page=all

Thought this might be of interest here. I posted it in another thread about Pianka in GD, too:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x835733

Looks to me like he definitely was misquoted and taken out of context.

[Buck Laser]

19. Going around looking for outrages..

seems to be a popular hobby these days. More commonly practiced by Freepers, the practice seems to be to abstract an idea or a provocative statement and attack it as a stand-alone event. It's probably effective political discourse, but it wastes a lot of good outrage that ought to be directed toward the aggressively stupid things that we tolerate every day in this country.

[Crunchy Frog]

20. Lots of discussion about this on The Panda's Thumb.

http://www.pandasthumb.org/

Here's a good one: Wingnuts in full, abject retreat on Pianka