Author Topic: Seismology on Trial In Italy  (Read 1559 times)

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Offline Material Defender

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Seismology on Trial In Italy
« on: October 25, 2012, 05:12:26 pm »
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYZDSjA93HA" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYZDSjA93HA</a>

So... apparently if scientists can't be fortune tellers, they can get convicted of manslaughter for inferring wrong?

What?
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Offline Smurfette Principle

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Re: Seismology on Trial In Italy
« Reply #1 on: October 25, 2012, 05:38:45 pm »
It's not even inferring wrong, they're being scapegoated by the Italian government. You'll note that it was the government spokesperson who said that the fears were overreactions, not the scientists, who said that the threat level was raised but not significantly.

Offline Undecided

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Re: Seismology on Trial In Italy
« Reply #2 on: October 26, 2012, 03:19:26 am »
It's not even inferring wrong, they're being scapegoated by the Italian government. You'll note that it was the government spokesperson who said that the fears were overreactions, not the scientists, who said that the threat level was raised but not significantly.
Exactly. It was a public official (the vice-head of the D.P.C.) who made the scientifically incorrect statements during a press conference at which only one of the scientists was present, and another public official (the head of the D.P.C.) who (I believe deliberately) diverted the commission's focus from risk assessment and management to assuaging public fears by moving their meeting on-site and opening what should have been a closed discussion to local government.
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