funsec mailing list archives
Re: Was the ClimateGate Hacker Justified? Join the Debate!
From: chris () blask org
Date: Fri, 27 Nov 2009 06:47:31 -0800 (PST)
--- On Thu, 11/26/09, Gadi Evron <ge () linuxbox org> wrote:
I agree, which is why we don't debate climate change, but the hacker's actions.
My take: The hacker is wrong - ethically, morally and legally. The exposure of the information can be either good or bad, separately and distinctly from the ethics of the hacker. Which one it is is more complicated than I can determine at the moment - looking back a decade or two would give the vantage to determine. It will remain unclear whether the release of information contributes to the public good or has a sum negative impact until it can be determined whether the public discourse is improved or not, and whether the aggregate public "decision" on the topic is empirically proven to be wise or not. -------------------- An example of my thinking: There is an extremist who has knowledge of a ticking bomb. I (with my Jack Bower glasses on) choose to torture the information out of him, succeed, and the bomb is defused. The ethics? o I am ethically, morally and legally in the wrong. I expect to go to jail. o The disclosure of the information that I unethically gained? That is an ethical act, saving human lives. ---------------------- Since we cannot extricate this conversation from global warming, I'll add my two cents for better or worse (probably worse) on that, too. o All would be better served to start the conversation with the question: "Do you believe it is *possible* for mankind to have any impact of any kind on the global climate under any conditions?" Anyone answering "no, God (Gaea, Kermit the Frog,...) won't let us" doesn't need to be involved in the conversation further. o Increasing ratios of components known to retain heat in atmospheric systems in a single-change scenario would have seemingly obvious results. o The global climate is anything but a single-change scenario: it is actually a "constant multiple-factor change scenario", in which it is conceivable that we are currently otherwise in a cooling phase and we have just happened - by sheer dumb luck - to find ourselves pumping warming agents out at the right time. o Counting on dumb luck to work in our favor over the long term is a Bad Idea. -chris _______________________________________________ Fun and Misc security discussion for OT posts. https://linuxbox.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/funsec Note: funsec is a public and open mailing list.
Current thread:
- Was the ClimateGate Hacker Justified? Join the Debate! Gadi Evron (Nov 26)
- Re: Was the ClimateGate Hacker Justified? Join the Debate! Rich Kulawiec (Nov 26)
- Re: Was the ClimateGate Hacker Justified? Join the Debate! Gadi Evron (Nov 26)
- Re: Was the ClimateGate Hacker Justified? Join the Debate! Valdis . Kletnieks (Nov 26)
- Re: Was the ClimateGate Hacker Justified? Join the Debate! Gadi Evron (Nov 26)
- Re: Was the ClimateGate Hacker Justified? Join the Debate! Florian Weimer (Nov 26)
- Re: Was the ClimateGate Hacker Justified? Join the Debate! Gadi Evron (Nov 26)
- Re: Was the ClimateGate Hacker Justified? Join the Debate! Michael Graham (Nov 26)
- Re: Was the ClimateGate Hacker Justified? Join the Debate! Gadi Evron (Nov 26)
- Re: Was the ClimateGate Hacker Justified? Join the Debate! Michael Graham (Nov 26)
- Re: Was the ClimateGate Hacker Justified? Join the Debate! chris (Nov 27)
- Re: Was the ClimateGate Hacker Justified? Join the Debate! Martin Tomasek (Nov 27)
- Re: Was the ClimateGate Hacker Justified? Join the Debate! G. D. Fuego (Nov 27)
- Actual Climate Change Thread (was: Was the ClimateGate Hacker Justified?) chris (Nov 27)
- Re: Actual Climate Change Thread Martin Tomasek (Nov 28)
- Re: Actual Climate Change Thread chris (Nov 28)
- Re: Actual Climate Change Thread Martin Tomasek (Dec 01)
- Re: Actual Climate Change Thread Valdis . Kletnieks (Dec 01)
- Re: Actual Climate Change Thread Tomas L. Byrnes (Dec 01)
- Re: Actual Climate Change Thread Martin Tomasek (Dec 02)
- Why it sucks to live in Southern Chile Alex Eckelberry (Dec 02)
- Re: Was the ClimateGate Hacker Justified? Join the Debate! Gadi Evron (Nov 26)
- Re: Was the ClimateGate Hacker Justified? Join the Debate! Rich Kulawiec (Nov 26)