{"id":609,"date":"2008-10-29T17:54:37","date_gmt":"2008-10-29T22:54:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.realclimate.org\/index.php\/archives\/2008\/10\/greenspan-einstein-and-reich\/langswitch_lang\/in"},"modified":"2009-12-12T10:20:54","modified_gmt":"2009-12-12T15:20:54","slug":"greenspan-einstein-and-reich","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.realclimate.org\/index.php\/archives\/2008\/10\/greenspan-einstein-and-reich\/","title":{"rendered":"Greenspan, Einstein and Reich Greenspan, Einstein et Reich<\/lang_fr>"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\"shrek\"I often receive letters that range from amusing claims that we are overlooking changes in the magnetic field, to tales about how the \u201cweight\u201d of carbon dioxide keeps it \u201cnear the ground\u201d. If the writer sounds serious, then I treat them seriously, and do my best to provide a helpful reply. Often, though, I find myself in a pointless debate of the most basic, well-established physical principles. I generally cut off the discussion at this point, because I simply don\u2019t have the time. This can result in a hostile response accusing me of \u201chaving an agenda\u201d. Most would call me na\u00efve for bothering to respond in the first place.<\/p>\n

But it is possible, after all, that somewhere in that barrage of letters lies a brilliant idea that ought to be heard, and could change the course of scientific history. How to tell the difference? Well, there is a story that we tell in our family that might provide some perspective on this.<\/p>\n

Una traduzione in italiano \u00e8 disponibile qui<\/a>.<\/lang_it>
\nTraduction par V\u00e9ronique Pag\u00e9<\/small><\/lang_fr>
\n<\/p>\n

The story is about Wilhelm Reich, the controversial Freudian psychoanalyist (1897-1957). Reich was a personal acquaintance of my great uncle, William Steig, creator of Shrek<\/i><\/a>, and illustrator of ones of Reich\u2019s books. Reich thought he had made a major discovery in physics that proved the existence of a previously unrecognized form of energy, which he called \u201corgone energy\u201d. He had built an \u201corgone energy accumulator\u201d (basically a box whose walls were comprised of alternating layers of organic material and metal). He had done some careful experiments that demonstrated that the temperature inside the box increased above the ambient outside temperature. He made calculations that (he thought) demonstrated that the increase was greater than could be explained by thermodynamics, thereby proving the existence of an extra source of heat, which he attributed to the mysterious \u201corgone energy\u201d. He sent these calculations to Albert Einstein, who graciously wrote back to him, showing where his calculations were wrong. Reich then wrote again, allegedly showing where Einstein had made an error. Einstein never wrote back. Some in my family took this as evidence that Einstein was stumped. But most people would conclude that Einstein decided he had better things to do than continue an argument that wasn\u2019t going anywhere. This story has all the more poignancy to my family because my grandfather Henry, William\u2019s brother, died of cancer while trying to cure himself by sitting in an orgone accumulator. I don\u2019t of course, believe that Wilhelm Reich is responsible for my grandfather\u2019s death. But clearly, Reich was wrong, and Einstein was right.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut wait a minute,\u201d you might say. \u201cYou guys at RealClimate are no Albert Einstein.\u201d True enough. But like Einstein, we\u2019re constantly subject to criticism from our fellow scientists. That\u2019s what the process of peer review<\/a> is all about. It\u2019s not a perfect process, but it does provide an efficient means to separate ideas that have traction from ideas that are going nowhere. Greenspan\u2019s pronouncements about the economy, on the other hand, were not subject to any such process. There might be a lesson in that.<\/p>\n


\n\"Shrek Les lettres que je re\u00e7ois vont de l’affirmation amusante que nous ignorons des changements du champ magn\u00e9tique aux histoires abracadabrantes \u00e0 propos du \u201cpoids\u201c du dioxide de carbone qui le retiendrait “pr\u00e8s du sol”. Si l’auteur semble s\u00e9rieux, alors je le traite s\u00e9rieusement et tente de lui offrir une r\u00e9ponse utile. Bien souvent, par contre, je me retrouve au coeur d’un d\u00e9bat futile \u00e0 propos de principes physiques \u00e9l\u00e9mentaires et bien \u00e9tablis. En g\u00e9n\u00e9ral c’est l\u00e0 que je me retire de la conversation, parce que je n’ai pas de temps \u00e0 passer l\u00e0-dessus. Ceci g\u00e9n\u00e8re souvent une r\u00e9ponse hostile de mon interlocuteur, qui m’accuse d’avoir des intentions cach\u00e9es. Plusieurs me trouveraient na\u00eff de continuer de me donner la peine de r\u00e9pondre.<\/p>\n

Mais apr\u00e8s tout, il est possible que parmi toutes ces lettres il s’en trouve une qui contienne une id\u00e9e fantastique qui n’attend que d’\u00eatre entendue pour changer le cours de l’histoire scientifique. Comment identifier cette lettre parmi les autres? Il y a une histoire qui court dans ma famille qui peut peut-\u00eatre jeter une lumi\u00e8re int\u00e9ressante sur la question. <\/p>\n

L’histoire concerne Wilhelm Reich, le psychanalyste Freudien controvers\u00e9 (1897-1957). Reich \u00e9tait un ami de mon grand-oncle William Steig, cr\u00e9ateur de Shrek<\/i><\/a> et illustrateur d’un des livres de Reich. Reich croyait avoir r\u00e9ussi \u00e0 d\u00e9montrer l’existence d’une forme d’\u00e9nergie jusque-l\u00e0 insoup\u00e7onn\u00e9e qu’il baptisa \u00e9nergie \u201corgone\u201d. Il avait construit un “accumulateur d’\u00e9nergie orgone” qui \u00e9tait en gros une bo\u00eete dont les murs \u00e9taient couverts en alternance d’un mat\u00e9riau organique et de m\u00e9tal. Ses exp\u00e9riences minutieuses avaient d\u00e9montr\u00e9 que la temp\u00e9rature \u00e0 l’int\u00e9rieur de la bo\u00eete s’\u00e9levait au-dessus de la temp\u00e9rature ambiante. Il fit des calculs qui d\u00e9montr\u00e8rent (croyait-il) que l’augmentation de temp\u00e9rature \u00e9tait plus grande que celle pr\u00e9vue par la thermodynamique, prouvant de ce fait l’existence d’une source additionnelle de chaleur; il attribua celle-ci \u00e0 la pr\u00e9sence d’\u00e9nergie orgone. Il envoya ses calculs \u00e0 Albert Einstein, qui lui r\u00e9pondit aimablement, lui expliquant pourquoi ses calculs \u00e9taient erron\u00e9s. Reich lui r\u00e9\u00e9crit, d\u00e9montrant \u00e0 son avis qu’Einstein faisait erreur. Einstein ne lui r\u00e9pondit jamais. <\/p>\n

Certains membres de ma famille choisirent de croire qu’Einstein \u00e9tait d\u00e9concert\u00e9 par les calculs de Reich. La plupart des gens conclueront qu’Einstein avait d\u00e9cid\u00e9 qu’il avait mieux \u00e0 faire que de s’emp\u00eatrer dans une discussion qui ne m\u00e8nerait nulle part. Cette histoire est particuli\u00e8rement \u00e9mouvante pour ma famille parce que mon grand-p\u00e8re Henry, le fr\u00e8re de William, a tent\u00e9 de traiter le cancer qui l’a emport\u00e9 en s’asseyant dans un accumulateur d’orgone. \u00c9videmment, je ne tiens pas Wilhem Reich responsable de la mort de mon grand-p\u00e8re. Mais de toute \u00e9vidence Reich avait tort et Einstein avait raison.<\/p>\n

\u201cMais un instant\u201d, pensez-vous peut-\u00eatre, \u201cvous n’\u00eates quand m\u00eame pas tous des Einstein \u00e0 RealClimate\u201d. C’est vrai. Mais tout comme Einstein, nous sommes constamment soumis \u00e0 la critique de nos coll\u00e8gues; le processus de revue par les pairs<\/a> n’est rien d’autre que \u00e7a. <\/p>\n

C’est un processus imparfait, soit, mais qui s\u00e9pare efficacement les id\u00e9es solides de celles qui ne m\u00e8nent nulle part. Les \u00e9nonc\u00e9s de Greenspan sur l’\u00e9conomie, par contre, n’ont jamais \u00e9t\u00e9 soumises \u00e0 un tel processus. Il y a peut-\u00eatre une conclusion \u00e0 tirer de tout \u00e7a… <\/lang_fr><\/p>\n\n<\/div> ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I often receive letters that range from amusing claims that we are overlooking changes in the magnetic field, to tales about how the \u201cweight\u201d of carbon dioxide keeps it \u201cnear the ground\u201d. If the writer sounds serious, then I treat them seriously, and do my best to provide a helpful reply. Often, though, I find […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[35,34],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-609","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-communicating-climate","7":"category-skeptics","8":"entry"},"aioseo_notices":[],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.realclimate.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/609","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.realclimate.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.realclimate.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.realclimate.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.realclimate.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=609"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.realclimate.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/609\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2343,"href":"https:\/\/www.realclimate.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/609\/revisions\/2343"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.realclimate.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=609"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.realclimate.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=609"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.realclimate.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=609"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}