Words

The science of equilibrium thermodynamics can be entirely mathematically derived from the science of statistical mechanics, which itself is derived from statistics and a few simple natural laws. With a knowledge of mathematics, a good thermodynamics text can be read and understood regardless of whether or not the reader has knowledge of the word language in which the book is written.

There are many such examples in the fields of physics and chemistry. In the more poorly understood subjects such as biology, words play a greater part, largely because the explanations are tentative and incompletely understood.

Generally speaking, a scientist should be able to enter a lecture hall without notes and give an understandable and correct lecture on his subject by means of diagrams, graphs, symbols, and equations on a large chalkboard without ever verbally uttering a word. Words serve then as additional communication aids, especially for less informed members of the audience.

Scientific knowledge requires great precision of expression and manipulation, so the language of mathematics is best suited to it. Without mathematics, modern science would probably not exist.

In the public arena, however, words and subjective images are everything. The majority of people are moved primarily by words, by audio-visual images, and by their perceptions or misperceptions of their own self-interests.

Enormous investments of money and effort are made in order to define certain words and phrases in the public mind. Often, in order to conserve resources, words that already have special value and recognition are appropriated and redefined. For example, the word "entropy'' from thermodynamics was appropriated by Jeremy Rifkin in his best-selling enviropropaganda book of the same name. In this effort, Rifkin rode the scientific reputation of the word and applied it to energy use in an entirely incorrect manner. He so demonized it that several theologians, hoodwinked by Rifkin's word game, even wrote books about entropy and original sin.

In the case of "entropy,'' scientists have little choice other than to defend the meaning of their word. Entropy is too entrenched in the scientific literature to be discarded.

In other cases, it may be well to discard a term and its propagandists. The "atmospheric greenhouse effect'' is a well-known natural phenomenon wherein atmospheric components admit energy as electromagnetic radiation from the sun, but then block the escape of some of that energy after its spectrum is altered by interactions with earthly components. This is an essential phenomenon in maintaining an atmosphere warm enough to support human life.

Upon "greenhouse effect'' has been built the term "global warming.'' While "global warming'' could have led a relatively harmless semantic life, it has been diverted into a life of crime by the propaganda mills. They have given it a public meaning synonymous with huge atmospheric temperature increases due to industrial activity, catastrophic environmental effects, mobs of government funded "scientists'' fighting for the life of the planet, and reason enough for massive invasions by government bureaucrats and regulations into all aspects of our economy. Meanwhile there is no credible scientific evidence of global warming. Access to Energy has been referring to "global warming'' as "enviro-nonscience,'' which it is - as the words are now used.

Recently Access to Energy published a few scientific references concerning "assault rifles'' because media claims about these rifles are greatly in error. We received three letters from readers who feel that we misused the words - that assault rifles are not semiautomatic military rifles of the sort used in World War II and now available in modern versions. These readers consider assault rifles to be only fully automatic rifles that spray bullets Rambo-style (and are used mostly for mowing down children on playgrounds).