Correcting myths from Julian Simon
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"If you want tranquility, you can buy it. You can jet to Alaska or to Timbukto, or pretty soon, travel into space and get all the tranquility you want."
Julian Simon, in an interview by Frank Miele, The Skeptic, Vol. 5 #1, page 56
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Simon was a professor of business administration. He was one of the leaders of the growth is good school, and authored or edited a number of anti-environmental books. Publication of Bjørn Lomborg's The Skeptical Environmentalist: has focused renewed attention on Simon.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Doomslayer by Ed Regis is the article that supposedly started Lomborg on his path to the "dark side". Here we learn that Simon's predilection for trying to settle issues by betting started early.
Herman E. Daly's review of Julian Simon's The Ultimate Resource.
Perilous Optimism by Ernest Partridge
Simon Déjà Vu by Edward Flattau
The Julian Simon -David South Bet on Pine Sawtimber Stumpage-yes, Simon lost a bet on a resource issue (and almost no one has heard about it).
The Population Bomb-Another Bet and another page about the Bet
Pages by me:
The Betrayal of Science and Reason: How Anti-Environmental Rhetoric Threatens Our Future by Paul and Anne Ehrlich, Island Press, 1996, includes looks at some of Simon's most unscientific claims.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Written by Jim Norton
Return to general references
Visit my anti-environmental myths home page.
Visit my practical skepticism page
The text on these pages may be freely copied, distributed and posted as long as my name, this statement and the URL (http://info-pollution.com/simon.htm) are included.