Admit It. You're Wrong.
A leading environmental activist recently admitted he'd been quite wrong to launch the movement against genetically modified foods. As reported over at Slate, Mark Lynas began his remarks at the Oxford Farming Conference this week with a bang:
I want to start with some apologies. For the record, here and upfront, I apologise for having spent several years ripping up GM crops. I am also sorry that I helped to start the anti-GM movement back in the mid 1990s, and that I thereby assisted in demonising an important technological option which can be used to benefit the environment.
As an environmentalist, and someone who believes that everyone in this world has a right to a healthy and nutritious diet of their choosing, I could not have chosen a more counter-productive path. I now regret it completely.
So I guess you’ll be wondering—what happened between 1995 and now that made me not only change my mind but come here and admit it? Well, the answer is fairly simple: I discovered science, and in the process I hope I became a better environmentalist.
It's to his credit that he admitted his error and apologized for the damage he'd caused.
I have to admit error with family members and friends quite a bit. It's embarrassing but it's a good practice. It's definitely better than stubbornly persisting in error once you know better.
But have you ever had to admit error in such a grand fashion?
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Comments:
May '10
Re: Admit It. You're Wrong.
Ironic though it may be to come from this particular speaker, the sentiment remains apt:
Edited on January 4, 2013 at 9:13pmJul '10
Re: Admit It. You're Wrong.
Always acknowledge a fault. This will throw those in authority off their guard and give you an opportunity to commit more.
--Mark Twain
May '11
Re: Admit It. You're Wrong.
If only we could get the global warming crowd to do the same !
Sep '11
Re: Admit It. You're Wrong.
What do you bet he is part of the global warming crowd? He does, after all, describe himself as an environmentalist. Don't hold your breath for his capitulation to science on global warming/climate change/climate disruption.
I would love to be proven wrong.
May '11
Re: Admit It. You're Wrong.
... having never really done anything that impacts any great number of people, my errors are typically of the harmless sort. Thankfully, my apologies are typically personal.
Ha! Mollie, I promise I'm not merely engaging in shameless self-promotion, here, but I was just (somewhat pathetically, I'm afraid) trying to make the point that large mistakes are best avoided when we refuse to give small numbers of people a great deal of power. Whereas quite a lot of good can still be accomplished.
Edited on January 4, 2013 at 9:49pmAug '10
Re: Admit It. You're Wrong.
Can we get the government to say they're sorry ?
For the extended tax credits for wind turbines ?
For the thousands of dead eagles ?
For the 14,000 broken ones that litter the countryside and scar the landscapes of our country ?
For the bad science that continues to propel General Electric and their Chinese partners into the arms of our President ?
For anything ? The Congress apologized for slavery . West Benin apologized for their part in slavery .
How about for taking our money and squandering it , taking food from the mouths of our babies and giving it to bureaucracies ? Compromising our ability to defend our homes .
I'm sorry to complain, really I am very sorry. I apologize profusely. YOU ARE RIGHT .
(been married for awhile, know that trick )
Edited on January 4, 2013 at 10:24pmNov '10
Re: Admit It. You're Wrong.
As a former agnostic who set about trying to disprove the tenets of Christianity (mostly to myself), then ran into C.S. Lewis, G.K. Chesterton, Lee Strobel, and Andrew Klavan, among others, I had to apologize to God (& more than a few friends & family members). Not so much in grand fasion, but rather humbling and awfully good for the soul.
I can only imagine Mr. Lynas feels much better about himself.
Sep '12
Re: Admit It. You're Wrong.
I had to give a mea culpa on my Facebook page after the election. I am comfortable with the idea that there could be and often is something wrong with everything I claim. I put myself out there on a regular basis so those who aren't interested in dispassionate truth-seeking can attack me and improve my arguments. I may sound sure of myself when I speek, and I am, but I am always aware of how flawed my current arguments might be.
Occasionally I run into people like myself. The conversations that follow are often the most constructive.
Oct '10
Re: Admit It. You're Wrong.
I've not only done it, and right here on Ricochet, I can even offer a formula for avoiding it.
Here it is in a nutshell: Don't use a phrase or concept in your headline of which you're not completely knowledgeable or one that might offend a large portion of the membership. The snarky content might be as low as 1 or 2 %, but believe me, it will be detected. And punished.
Let's use a concrete example, say Papal Infallibility. Sure, a post with a name like this might get a lot of attention if it's backed by a solid story. But is that what you want when your ignorance is called out three times in the first four comments? Well, just swallow your pride, admit your stupid mistake, thank your lucky stars it's only on the member feed and hit the sack. And then never go on Ricochet again. That's where I made my bloomer. (smiling emoticon here).
May '10
Re: Admit It. You're Wrong.
He might have been wiser to consider this sage advice:
-- A. Lincoln
What happened after his speech? Was he torn apart by organically-grown wolves?
Aug '10
Re: Admit It. You're Wrong.
I admit that I gave my first couple of children jars of baby food flamboyantly labelled: "NO GM".It was like, you know, like, kind of one of those things you had to do if you really really loved your kids.
Apr '11
Re: Admit It. You're Wrong.
Sadly, the damage has been done. The falsehoods have a life of their own, and we're going to have a heck of a time getting the genie back into the bottle.
Oct '10
Re: Admit It. You're Wrong.
Someone introduce this man to Stewart Brand, stat!
Ah, I see he's already met Hans Rosling. My faith in God is confirmed.
Dec '12
Re: Admit It. You're Wrong.
If you follow the Slate link to the Lynas website, you will see that he shows why the anti-GM movement is harmful to the environment, decreases biodiversity, and causes hunger. He puts people in a position of having to choose between their favorite causes and may cause some fracturing within the greenie movement. And the wonderful thing is that he shows how unscientific greenies are. It's a great article.
Apr '11
Re: Admit It. You're Wrong.
Wait! What?! I thought science only confirmed this kind of self-righteous leftism. I'm confused.
Oct '12
Re: Admit It. You're Wrong.
I thought the Iraq war was not a bad idea. Biggest political regret of my life.
Nov '11
Re: Admit It. You're Wrong.
It was a good idea.
The bad idea was the two George Bushes not finishing it before leaving office. Paraphrasing Machiavelli's advice about Pope Alexander VI and his son, Cesare Borgia III, the Duke of Valentino: Nobody lives forever, and you can't rely on others to finish what you start.
Both Poppy and Dubya should apologize!
May '10
Re: Admit It. You're Wrong.
I'm still waiting for the Indians to apologize for overcharging for manhattan.
Apr '11
Re: Admit It. You're Wrong.
Being a liberal means never having to say you're sorry. He's discovered science and that policies' effects on people are more important than how warm and fuzzy they make you feel. He's going to be calling Andrew Klaven for drinks pretty soon.
Here are some more liberal politically correct and do-good ideas or policies that kill people and blight lives:
Apr '12
Re: Admit It. You're Wrong.
If the Indians had invested their $24 at 6% compounded monthly, they would have $ 292 billion today.