David Deming
Encyclopedia
David Deming an American geologist
and geophysicist, is an associate professor of Arts and Sciences at the University of Oklahoma
in Norman
. He graduated from North Central High School in Indianapolis
, Indiana
in 1972. He graduated from Indiana University
in 1983 with a BS degree in geology
, and received a Ph.D in geophysics from the University of Utah
in 1988. Prior to his arrival at the University of Oklahoma in 1992, Deming held a National Research Council
postdoctoral fellowship at the U.S. Geological Survey in California. From 1992 through 2003, Deming was an assistant and associate professor in the School of Geology and Geophysics at the University of Oklahoma. Deming, an outspoken and controversial professor, was involved in two major disputes with the OU administration, one leading to a lawsuit. Deming is the author of more than thirty research papers and the textbook Introduction to Hydrogeology. He is an associate editor for the academic journals Petroleum Geoscience and Ground Water, an adjunct faculty member at two conservative think tank
s, the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
and the National Center for Policy Analysis
In a letter published in the American Association of Petroleum Geologists magazine, the Explorer, in 2002, Deming wrote that "prior to World War II, the central principle upon which our civilization was ordered was progress - the idea that the application of scientific knowledge results in improved standards of living," but "in the latter half of the 20th century, the idea of progress was replaced by an anti-scientific environmentalism
based on a mythological primitive harmony that has never existed."
Deming has criticized "sustainability," as a misleading concept, a chimera," at least as far as it pertains to technology, pointing out that "present day technologies and practices are never sustainable, nor should we expect them to be...projections of current technology into the future are always invalid because technology does not stand still...technological progress is our birthright and destiny." In 2003, speaking at a meeting of the Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association, Deming said "I think it would be foolish to try to predict what our technological capabilities will be (100 years from now), just as it would have been foolish for someone from the 19th century to try to predict what we could do today."
Deming does not believe in Peak Oil
theories, and has pointed out that "predictions of imminent oil shortages have been made throughout the twentieth century...[but] all previous predictions have been false." He has criticized the Hubbert model of peak oil production as flawed, because "Hubbert-type analyses...depend on an estimate of the total resource size...[but] the history of resources assessments shows that in the last 50 years, estimates of oil reserves have risen as fast or faster than cumulative oil production."
Deming does not believe that alternative energy technologies
are sufficiently evolved to add significantly to the world energy budget in the immediate future, arguing that "wind and solar power are...intermittent, expensive, unreliable, and incompatible with the existing power grid infrastructure...neither can be used directly for transportation. In contrast, fossil fuels are abundant, reliable, and inexpensive energy sources." He believes "the largest mistake would be to start to move away from petroleum, a proven and economic energy source, to more speculative and expensive sources," pointing out that "natural gas is...abundant, relatively inexpensive and environmentally benign," and that "nuclear power has the potential to provide large amounts of power for very long periods of time if low-grade uranium is used in breeder reactors."
Writing in the Washington Times in 2003, Deming claimed that "the seminal event that transformed the United States into an industrial and technological powerhouse" was the discovery of oil at Spindletop, Texas, in 1901. He argued that "the cheap energy provided by abundant oil allowed the U.S. to transform itself from a rural, agrarian country into an urban, industrialized nation," and maintained that "petroleum continues to be the lifeblood of our technological civilization." Deming has stated "human progress depends on abundant and inexpensive energy from fossil fuels, including petroleum," and that "human progress is sustainable only if we maintain an optimistic attitude, continue to increase our prosperity and energy utilization, and invest in education and research." He maintains that "the greatest danger to human civilization today is not environmental degradation, but a return to the ancient plague of pessimism."
predictions, citing "media hysteria... generated by journalists who don't understand the provisional and uncertain nature of scientific knowledge."
In a 1995 paper published in the academic journal Science
, Deming reviewed published analyses of borehole temperature data in North America
and concluded "the magnitude of the observed warning...is still within the range of estimated natural variability...a cause and effect relationship between anthropogenic activities and climatic warming cannot be demonstrated unambiguously at the present time."
In 1998, Deming wrote an editorial where he pointed out that the worldwide borehole temperature record indicated present day temperatures were not anomalously warm: "when compared to the period of time over which human civilization rose, present day temperatures are colder than average. Even if mean global temperature were to rise another degree, it would still be colder than it has for much of the last 10,000 years."
In a March, 2005, editorial in Investor's Business Daily, Deming compared Naomi Oreskes' claim of 100 percent scientific consensus on global warming to "the October 2002 election in Iraq, where Saddam Hussein received 100% of the vote." Criticizing a December 26, 2004, Washington Post editorial by Oreskes where she wrote "we need to stop repeating nonsense about the uncertainty of global warming," Deming quoted Francis Bacon's admonition "if we begin in certainty, we will end in doubts."
On December 6, 2006, Deming testified before the US Senate committee on the Environmental and Public Works, concluding that
Deming was quoted in the Christian Science Monitor as stating "too little is known about how the climate system works to overhaul economies in an effort to affect it." According to the Oklahoma Daily, he argued "there is not one person on Earth who has ever been killed or harmed by global warming."
On March 1, 2007, Deming debated David Karoly
, then a climatology
professor at the University of Oklahoma
, on global warming. Deming stated “some people want to enlist science in a moral crusade.” Continuing, he claimed “science is a disinterested search for truth” and warned against anyone claiming a monopoly on evidence over any scientific subject. Following this line of reasoning, Deming further emphasized that "global warming is a scientific question, not a moral one," and argued that "the projection that the temperatures are becoming warmer is nothing more than speculation." According to an Associated Press
report, Deming also objected to the fact that China
and India
are exempt from the Kyoto Protocol
.
Deming has described the film An Inconvenient Truth
as "an artful and deceptive propaganda film," and stated that "the claims made in An Inconvenient Truth are either wrong, disingenuous, or misleading." He has called carbon taxes "stupidity taxes," and argued that carbon dioxide is not a pollutant, and that warm temperatures are generally beneficial for human beings.
In December 2007, Deming published an editorial in The Washington Times
("Year of Global Cooling"), where he stated that "in 2007, hundreds of people died, not from global warming, but from cold weather hazards." Deming stated that "the mean planetary temperature hasn't increased significantly for nearly nine years," and concluded that "global warming has long since passed from scientific hypothesis to pseudo-scientific mumbo-jumbo."
in Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion
(1779). Deming concluded that "science came to dominate the world of knowledge honestly by solving its fundamental epistemological problem. . . . [S]cience was able to construct reliable knowledge based on observation by developing the pragmatic criterion of repeatability . . . in contrast religion has never solved the problem of how to establish the veracity and authentic nature of revelation." However, Deming states that it is both counterproductive and a "sin against philosophy" to punish an individual for theistic beliefs, because belief in Design can serve as a powerful inducement to pursue science.
As early as 1995, Deming suggested that "it is entirely plausible that a substantial portion of sex-based cognitive differences may be biological in origin." However, he noted that "individual variations within each gender are greater than differences between genders," and that "discrimination against individuals...arises from ignorance and should be condemned."
In 1998, Deming authored a guest column in the Oklahoma Daily where he argued that "biological differences between the sexes that may contribute to men's tendency to favor engineering...On average, females have better verbal abilities than males. Males, however, tend to be superior in visual-spatial skills and mathematics, both of which may be important in engineering." Deming wrote:
On nature.com, Deming again argued that inequalities in employment statistics could be affected by biological differences, concluding "in previous generations, women were discouraged and actively prevented from choosing careers in the physical sciences. This is no longer true...when people with different abilities and inclinations make decisions in a free society, inequalities result."
In 2001, Deming, writing about the field of higher education, opined that "the bias against men in my profession is so profound, that it is now a universally accepted cultural norm in professional and academic communities." Deming has admitted that "Western Civilization has a long history of misogyny," but pointed out that "there is no institutional or private employer in the US today that openly discriminates against women." He argued that equity does not require numerical equality, and claimed that women in the US enjoy some specific advantages over men:
In his 2001 Sexuality and Culture article , Deming explained that in the development of his beliefs and values, he had been influenced by science fiction
writers A.E. van Vogt and Robert A. Heinlein
.
student Joni Kletter's February 18, 2000 syndicated article on gun control
published in the University of Oklahoma
's student newspaper
, The Oklahoma Daily
- a letter for which the professor was charged for sexual harassment. In her article, Kletter had claimed that "easy access to a handgun allows everyone in this country...to quickly and easily kill as many random people as they want." In his rebuttal, Deming wrote
In an article published in the academic journal
Sexuality and Culture in 2001, Deming stated that he had not been motivated by the fact that "For years, the campus newspaper at the University of Oklahoma had been printing vile attacks on both the right to own guns and people who were part of the gun culture." These remarks included statements that the desire to own guns was "an addiction," and "an irrational need for empowerment," comparisons of NRA members to "the Beverly Hillbillies," and claims that the Second Amendment "was used as a means of killing American Indians and stealing their land," and "so slave owners could have guns to keep slaves from rebelling."
College of Geoscience Dean John T. Snow reprimanded Deming for the Oklahoma Daily letter. A March 23, 2000 press release by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education
(FIRE), a non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and sustain individual rights at America's colleges and universities" characterized Snow's letter as "alarming":
Deming's remarks were criticized on campus, often by self-identified feminists. In a letter to the Oklahoma Daily published February 25, 2000, Women's Studies
professor Julia Ehrhardt complained that she was "insulted" by Deming's letter which "intimates that...a woman is merely the sum of her sexual parts." However, Deming found support for his views in the wider community. Legal assistance was provided by the Center for Individual Rights
and attorney Andrew W. Lester . Reader's letters published by the Daily Oklahoman on March 4, 2000, were almost entirely in Deming's favor. As one writer explained:
In March 2000, the University of Oklahoma dismissed the sexual harassment charges filed against Deming. However, four of the complainants filed appeals, resulting in a closed hearing before a faculty panel that took place on April 27, 2000. The Center for Individual Rights
(CIR) "questioned the decision to bar lawyers from speaking at the April 27 hearing. In response, the University set up a hearing for May 5. There, in a public forum, OU general counsel Joseph Harroz dropped all complaints" In a memorandum, Harroz explained that "the University may not take any adverse action against Dr. Deming," because his statements were protected by the First Amendment.
Deming reached a final settlement with the University of Oklahoma on October 24, 2000. According to the terms of the settlement, the University agreed that Deming's letter "did not violate the University's sexual harassment/sexual assault policy." The University of Oklahoma also agreed to "not take any adverse action against Dr. Deming or retaliate against him in any way." In a November 1, 2000, editorial, the Oklahoman characterized the settlement as a "free speech victory," and concluded "a college campus, of all places, ought to encourage the free flow of ideas."
In December 2003, the University of Oklahoma "removed [Deming] from his department, stripped him of most of his classes, and moved his office to a converted basement lab, all while claiming to respect the principles of academic freedom." According to the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education
(FIRE), "OU administrators schemed to marginalize him and isolate him for his attempts at whistleblowing and for his political expression."
As described by FIRE, "Roger Slatt, Director of the School of Geology and Geophysics, began to unconstitutionally monitor Deming's letters to the newspaper and include them in three professional evaluations, until directed to stop by OU President David L. Boren
. A former US Senator, Boren had stated in a 2001 editorial
, "a university is a place of many diverse viewpoints where free speech is encouraged." In June 2003, Boren wrote to Deming, saying, "I fully agree with you that your political views should not be included as a factor in your post-tenure review." In a July 24, 2003 email, Dean Snow complained that "it is doubly frustrating that President Boren...has shown such sympathy for Deming.", and wrote that he would try to convince Deming's department head to " basically ignore and then marginalize Deming.… As long as we keep our i’s dotted and our t’s crossed, all Deming can really do is make noise and cause a bit more paperwork.”
A major impetus to Deming's transfer was evidently the dissatisfaction of Robert L. Stephenson, an OU alumnus and major donor. On November 4, 2003, an attorney representing Stephenson wrote to University of Oklahoma provost
Nancy Mergler, complaining that Deming was "pursuing academic and personal interests outside of and not supportive of the School's mission." The letter warned that if Mr. Stephenson's concerns were not addressed, "his efforts and donations on behalf of the School will not continue."
In a February 27, 2004 article in The Chronicle of Higher Education, Karen S. Humes, a former OU professor now at the University of Idaho
, was quoted as stating that Deming's transfer was part of an administrative pattern in the College of Geosciences. Humes claimed that "The administration in that college was quite willing to subvert normal procedures to make sure their agenda was followed."
In July 2004, Deming filed a First Amendment
lawsuit
against a group of administrators at the University of Oklahoma, including "Roger Slatt, director of the School of Geology and Geophysics, and J.T. Snow, dean of the College of Geosciences." On December 24, 2005, the Oklahoman reported "U.S. District Judge Vicki Miles-Lagrange on Friday denied the University's motion to dismiss the lawsuit." Deming and OU later reached a settlement out of court, with Deming transferring to the College of Arts and Sciences.
Geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth as well as the processes and history that has shaped it. Geologists usually engage in studying geology. Geologists, studying more of an applied science than a theoretical one, must approach Geology using...
and geophysicist, is an associate professor of Arts and Sciences at the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
in Norman
Norman, Oklahoma
Norman is a city in Cleveland County, Oklahoma, United States, and is located south of downtown Oklahoma City. It is part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, Norman was to have 110,925 full-time residents, making it the third-largest city in Oklahoma and the...
. He graduated from North Central High School in Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
in 1972. He graduated from Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
in 1983 with a BS degree in geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
, and received a Ph.D in geophysics from the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
in 1988. Prior to his arrival at the University of Oklahoma in 1992, Deming held a National Research Council
United States National Research Council
The National Research Council of the USA is the working arm of the United States National Academies, carrying out most of the studies done in their names.The National Academies include:* National Academy of Sciences...
postdoctoral fellowship at the U.S. Geological Survey in California. From 1992 through 2003, Deming was an assistant and associate professor in the School of Geology and Geophysics at the University of Oklahoma. Deming, an outspoken and controversial professor, was involved in two major disputes with the OU administration, one leading to a lawsuit. Deming is the author of more than thirty research papers and the textbook Introduction to Hydrogeology. He is an associate editor for the academic journals Petroleum Geoscience and Ground Water, an adjunct faculty member at two conservative think tank
Think tank
A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...
s, the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
The Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs is the leading conservative think tank in Oklahoma, USA.-Founding, Mission, and Leadership:Founded in 1993 by Dr...
and the National Center for Policy Analysis
National Center for Policy Analysis
The National Center for Policy Analysis is a non-profit American conservative think tank whose goals are to develop and promote private alternatives to government regulation and control...
Energy and the environment
Deming has identified himself with the Cornucopian school of environmental thought, and has consistently criticized Malthusian theory. In 1998, he wrote "although world population has increased by more than a factor of six over the last 200 years, we are all aware that the average standard of living has risen dramatically - in direct contradiction to Malthusian theory." Deming considers the "fundamental flaw" in Malthusian theory to be that "it fails to take into account the exponential growth in resources that occurs through technological advances." He has questioned if Malthus' hypothesis is scientific, because its adherents resist empirical falsification.In a letter published in the American Association of Petroleum Geologists magazine, the Explorer, in 2002, Deming wrote that "prior to World War II, the central principle upon which our civilization was ordered was progress - the idea that the application of scientific knowledge results in improved standards of living," but "in the latter half of the 20th century, the idea of progress was replaced by an anti-scientific environmentalism
Environmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
based on a mythological primitive harmony that has never existed."
Deming has criticized "sustainability," as a misleading concept, a chimera," at least as far as it pertains to technology, pointing out that "present day technologies and practices are never sustainable, nor should we expect them to be...projections of current technology into the future are always invalid because technology does not stand still...technological progress is our birthright and destiny." In 2003, speaking at a meeting of the Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association, Deming said "I think it would be foolish to try to predict what our technological capabilities will be (100 years from now), just as it would have been foolish for someone from the 19th century to try to predict what we could do today."
Deming does not believe in Peak Oil
Peak oil
Peak oil is the point in time when the maximum rate of global petroleum extraction is reached, after which the rate of production enters terminal decline. This concept is based on the observed production rates of individual oil wells, projected reserves and the combined production rate of a field...
theories, and has pointed out that "predictions of imminent oil shortages have been made throughout the twentieth century...[but] all previous predictions have been false." He has criticized the Hubbert model of peak oil production as flawed, because "Hubbert-type analyses...depend on an estimate of the total resource size...[but] the history of resources assessments shows that in the last 50 years, estimates of oil reserves have risen as fast or faster than cumulative oil production."
Deming does not believe that alternative energy technologies
Alternative energy
Alternative energy is an umbrella term that refers to any source of usable energy intended to replace fuel sources without the undesired consequences of the replaced fuels....
are sufficiently evolved to add significantly to the world energy budget in the immediate future, arguing that "wind and solar power are...intermittent, expensive, unreliable, and incompatible with the existing power grid infrastructure...neither can be used directly for transportation. In contrast, fossil fuels are abundant, reliable, and inexpensive energy sources." He believes "the largest mistake would be to start to move away from petroleum, a proven and economic energy source, to more speculative and expensive sources," pointing out that "natural gas is...abundant, relatively inexpensive and environmentally benign," and that "nuclear power has the potential to provide large amounts of power for very long periods of time if low-grade uranium is used in breeder reactors."
Writing in the Washington Times in 2003, Deming claimed that "the seminal event that transformed the United States into an industrial and technological powerhouse" was the discovery of oil at Spindletop, Texas, in 1901. He argued that "the cheap energy provided by abundant oil allowed the U.S. to transform itself from a rural, agrarian country into an urban, industrialized nation," and maintained that "petroleum continues to be the lifeblood of our technological civilization." Deming has stated "human progress depends on abundant and inexpensive energy from fossil fuels, including petroleum," and that "human progress is sustainable only if we maintain an optimistic attitude, continue to increase our prosperity and energy utilization, and invest in education and research." He maintains that "the greatest danger to human civilization today is not environmental degradation, but a return to the ancient plague of pessimism."
Global warming and climate change
Deming has criticized global warmingGlobal warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
predictions, citing "media hysteria... generated by journalists who don't understand the provisional and uncertain nature of scientific knowledge."
In a 1995 paper published in the academic journal Science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
, Deming reviewed published analyses of borehole temperature data in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and concluded "the magnitude of the observed warning...is still within the range of estimated natural variability...a cause and effect relationship between anthropogenic activities and climatic warming cannot be demonstrated unambiguously at the present time."
In 1998, Deming wrote an editorial where he pointed out that the worldwide borehole temperature record indicated present day temperatures were not anomalously warm: "when compared to the period of time over which human civilization rose, present day temperatures are colder than average. Even if mean global temperature were to rise another degree, it would still be colder than it has for much of the last 10,000 years."
In a March, 2005, editorial in Investor's Business Daily, Deming compared Naomi Oreskes' claim of 100 percent scientific consensus on global warming to "the October 2002 election in Iraq, where Saddam Hussein received 100% of the vote." Criticizing a December 26, 2004, Washington Post editorial by Oreskes where she wrote "we need to stop repeating nonsense about the uncertainty of global warming," Deming quoted Francis Bacon's admonition "if we begin in certainty, we will end in doubts."
On December 6, 2006, Deming testified before the US Senate committee on the Environmental and Public Works, concluding that
The amount of climatic warming that has taken place in the past 150 years is poorly constrained, and its cause--human or natural--is unknown. There is no sound scientific basis for predicting future climate change with any degree of certainty. If the climate does warm, it is likely to be beneficial to humanity rather than harmful. In my opinion, it would be foolish to establish national energy policy on the basis of misinformation and irrational hysteria.
Deming was quoted in the Christian Science Monitor as stating "too little is known about how the climate system works to overhaul economies in an effort to affect it." According to the Oklahoma Daily, he argued "there is not one person on Earth who has ever been killed or harmed by global warming."
On March 1, 2007, Deming debated David Karoly
David Karoly
David John Karoly is an Australian scientist and academic. He is an expert in climate change, stratospheric ozone depletion and climate variations due to the El Niño-Southern Oscillation....
, then a climatology
Climatology
Climatology is the study of climate, scientifically defined as weather conditions averaged over a period of time, and is a branch of the atmospheric sciences...
professor at the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
, on global warming. Deming stated “some people want to enlist science in a moral crusade.” Continuing, he claimed “science is a disinterested search for truth” and warned against anyone claiming a monopoly on evidence over any scientific subject. Following this line of reasoning, Deming further emphasized that "global warming is a scientific question, not a moral one," and argued that "the projection that the temperatures are becoming warmer is nothing more than speculation." According to an Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
report, Deming also objected to the fact that China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
are exempt from the Kyoto Protocol
Kyoto Protocol
The Kyoto Protocol is a protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change , aimed at fighting global warming...
.
Deming has described the film An Inconvenient Truth
An Inconvenient Truth
An Inconvenient Truth is a 2006 documentary film directed by Davis Guggenheim about former United States Vice President Al Gore's campaign to educate citizens about global warming via a comprehensive slide show that, by his own estimate, he has given more than a thousand times.Premiering at the...
as "an artful and deceptive propaganda film," and stated that "the claims made in An Inconvenient Truth are either wrong, disingenuous, or misleading." He has called carbon taxes "stupidity taxes," and argued that carbon dioxide is not a pollutant, and that warm temperatures are generally beneficial for human beings.
In December 2007, Deming published an editorial in The Washington Times
The Washington Times
The Washington Times is a daily broadsheet newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. It was founded in 1982 by Unification Church founder Sun Myung Moon, and until 2010 was owned by News World Communications, an international media conglomerate associated with the...
("Year of Global Cooling"), where he stated that "in 2007, hundreds of people died, not from global warming, but from cold weather hazards." Deming stated that "the mean planetary temperature hasn't increased significantly for nearly nine years," and concluded that "global warming has long since passed from scientific hypothesis to pseudo-scientific mumbo-jumbo."
Intelligent design
In an article published in Earth Science Reviews, titled "Design, Science and Naturalism" (2008, vol. 90, p. 49-70), Deming concluded that intelligent design cannot be formulated as a scientific hypothesis. To do so, would require abandoning naturalism, uniformity, induction, efficient causation, and repeatability—the essential aspects of scientific methodology that have emerged over twenty-five hundred years. He argues that there is "no evidence of any type to support either scientific or philosophical claims that design can be unambiguously inferred from nature....the apparent irreducible complexity of biological mechanisms may be explained by exaptation or scaffolding." In Deming's view, the argument for design based on "fine-tuning" of the universe is based on an intellectual fallacy of assigning probability to a unique event. He believes that construing the Design Argument as an "inference to the best explanation" rather than as analogical reasoning is essentially an equivocation fallacy that does not rescue the argument from the criticisms advanced by David HumeDavid Hume
David Hume was a Scottish philosopher, historian, economist, and essayist, known especially for his philosophical empiricism and skepticism. He was one of the most important figures in the history of Western philosophy and the Scottish Enlightenment...
in Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion
Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion
Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion is a philosophical work written by the Scottish philosopher David Hume. Through dialogue, three fictional characters named Demea, Philo, and Cleanthes debate the nature of God's existence...
(1779). Deming concluded that "science came to dominate the world of knowledge honestly by solving its fundamental epistemological problem. . . . [S]cience was able to construct reliable knowledge based on observation by developing the pragmatic criterion of repeatability . . . in contrast religion has never solved the problem of how to establish the veracity and authentic nature of revelation." However, Deming states that it is both counterproductive and a "sin against philosophy" to punish an individual for theistic beliefs, because belief in Design can serve as a powerful inducement to pursue science.
Affirmative action
Deming has consistently opposed affirmative action for women, arguing that inequalities in employment statistics do not necessarily arise from discriminatory practices, a viewpoint that has been controversial at times.As early as 1995, Deming suggested that "it is entirely plausible that a substantial portion of sex-based cognitive differences may be biological in origin." However, he noted that "individual variations within each gender are greater than differences between genders," and that "discrimination against individuals...arises from ignorance and should be condemned."
In 1998, Deming authored a guest column in the Oklahoma Daily where he argued that "biological differences between the sexes that may contribute to men's tendency to favor engineering...On average, females have better verbal abilities than males. Males, however, tend to be superior in visual-spatial skills and mathematics, both of which may be important in engineering." Deming wrote:
There is significant scientific evidence that sex-based differences in spatial and mathematical abilities may be biological in origin. For example, male rats do better in mazes than females. I concede it is possible that those female rats performed poorly because they were distressed by the lack of proper role models, but somehow this seems implausible.
On nature.com, Deming again argued that inequalities in employment statistics could be affected by biological differences, concluding "in previous generations, women were discouraged and actively prevented from choosing careers in the physical sciences. This is no longer true...when people with different abilities and inclinations make decisions in a free society, inequalities result."
In 2001, Deming, writing about the field of higher education, opined that "the bias against men in my profession is so profound, that it is now a universally accepted cultural norm in professional and academic communities." Deming has admitted that "Western Civilization has a long history of misogyny," but pointed out that "there is no institutional or private employer in the US today that openly discriminates against women." He argued that equity does not require numerical equality, and claimed that women in the US enjoy some specific advantages over men:
Women in US colleges receive better grades than men and are more likely to graduate. On average, US women live five years longer than men, and therefore receive five additional years of Social Security payments. Wouldn't it be fairer if the retirement age for men was five years earlier than for women? Ninety-three percent of all people incarcerated in US prisons are men. If equity is synonymous with numerical equality, then why don't we start paroling men earlier and begin prosecuting women more vigorously?"
Views on gun control
In a 1994 article co-authored with University of Oklahoma law professor Robert B. Smith, Deming and Smith concluded "the Second Amendment safeguards an individual right; the militia consists of people who have a right to keep and bear arms." In 1997, Deming argued that gun ownership was "net benefit to our society," and described the Second Amendment as protecting "an inalienable natural right...that exists whether it is in the Bill of Rights or not."In his 2001 Sexuality and Culture article , Deming explained that in the development of his beliefs and values, he had been influenced by science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
writers A.E. van Vogt and Robert A. Heinlein
Robert A. Heinlein
Robert Anson Heinlein was an American science fiction writer. Often called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was one of the most influential and controversial authors of the genre. He set a standard for science and engineering plausibility and helped to raise the genre's standards of...
.
Views on social responsibility
In a 2008 newspaper column Deming wrote that"The United States was founded by people who wanted nothing more than freedom and the opportunity to work toward a better life for their children. But within a few generations, the progeny of the pioneers have turned into dolts who can’t take responsibility for anything. . .So long as Americans look to other people for the solution of their problems, they will invariably be disappointed. The American people need to stop whining like spoiled children and take charge of their lives."
Sexual harassment charges
In February 2000, Deming wrote a letter criticizing Yale UniversityYale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
student Joni Kletter's February 18, 2000 syndicated article on gun control
Gun politics
Gun politics addresses safety issues and ideologies related to firearms through criminal and noncriminal use. Gun politics deals with rules, regulations, and restrictions on the use, ownership, and distribution of firearms.-National sovereignty:...
published in the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
's student newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
, The Oklahoma Daily
The Oklahoma Daily
The Oklahoma Daily is the student-run newspaper at the University of Oklahoma. Though it maintains its connections with OU's Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication, the newspaper is not a part of required learning for journalism students at OU, but some classes are offered at The...
- a letter for which the professor was charged for sexual harassment. In her article, Kletter had claimed that "easy access to a handgun allows everyone in this country...to quickly and easily kill as many random people as they want." In his rebuttal, Deming wrote
"I just want to point out that Kletter's 'easy access' to a vaginaVaginaThe vagina is a fibromuscular tubular tract leading from the uterus to the exterior of the body in female placental mammals and marsupials, or to the cloaca in female birds, monotremes, and some reptiles. Female insects and other invertebrates also have a vagina, which is the terminal part of the...
enables her to 'quickly and easily' have sex with 'as many random people' as she wants. Her possession of an unregistered vagina also equips her to work as a prostitute and spread venereal diseases. Let's hope Kletter is as responsible with her equipment as most gun owners are with theirs."
In an article published in the academic journal
Academic journal
An academic journal is a peer-reviewed periodical in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. Academic journals serve as forums for the introduction and presentation for scrutiny of new research, and the critique of existing research...
Sexuality and Culture in 2001, Deming stated that he had not been motivated by the fact that "For years, the campus newspaper at the University of Oklahoma had been printing vile attacks on both the right to own guns and people who were part of the gun culture." These remarks included statements that the desire to own guns was "an addiction," and "an irrational need for empowerment," comparisons of NRA members to "the Beverly Hillbillies," and claims that the Second Amendment "was used as a means of killing American Indians and stealing their land," and "so slave owners could have guns to keep slaves from rebelling."
College of Geoscience Dean John T. Snow reprimanded Deming for the Oklahoma Daily letter. A March 23, 2000 press release by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education
Foundation for Individual Rights in Education
The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education is a non-profit group founded in 1999 and focused on civil liberties in academia in the United States...
(FIRE), a non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and sustain individual rights at America's colleges and universities" characterized Snow's letter as "alarming":
The Dean of the Colleges of Geosciences, John T. Snow, sent an alarming letter to Deming that excoriated him for expressing himself, accused him of lowering morale, and berated him for upsetting the president's office by occasioning a large number of phone calls from mediaNews mediaThe news media are those elements of the mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public or a target public.These include print media , broadcast news , and more recently the Internet .-Etymology:A medium is a carrier of something...
and alumni. In fact, of course, the protection of freedomAcademic freedomAcademic freedom is the belief that the freedom of inquiry by students and faculty members is essential to the mission of the academy, and that scholars should have freedom to teach or communicate ideas or facts without being targeted for repression, job loss, or imprisonment.Academic freedom is a...
at a public universityPublic universityA public university is a university that is predominantly funded by public means through a national or subnational government, as opposed to private universities. A national university may or may not be considered a public university, depending on regions...
is an honor and essential task, not a distraction...The days of academic "McCarthyismMcCarthyismMcCarthyism is the practice of making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence. The term has its origins in the period in the United States known as the Second Red Scare, lasting roughly from the late 1940s to the late 1950s and characterized by...
" remain with us; the targets, of course, change with time. Ironically, Snow's chilling letter directs Deming to "show due respect for the opinions of others."
Deming's remarks were criticized on campus, often by self-identified feminists. In a letter to the Oklahoma Daily published February 25, 2000, Women's Studies
Women's studies
Women's studies, also known as feminist studies, is an interdisciplinary academic field which explores politics, society and history from an intersectional, multicultural women's perspective...
professor Julia Ehrhardt complained that she was "insulted" by Deming's letter which "intimates that...a woman is merely the sum of her sexual parts." However, Deming found support for his views in the wider community. Legal assistance was provided by the Center for Individual Rights
Center for Individual Rights
The Center for Individual Rights is a non-profit public interest law firm in the United States. Based in Washington, D.C., the firm is "dedicated to the defense of individual liberties against the increasingly aggressive and unchecked authority of federal and state governments." The Center is...
and attorney Andrew W. Lester . Reader's letters published by the Daily Oklahoman on March 4, 2000, were almost entirely in Deming's favor. As one writer explained:
My hat's off to professor Deming. Gun owners are tired of being blamed for the acts of criminals. Deming's comparison of a vagina to a handgunHandgunA handgun is a firearm designed to be held and operated by one hand. This characteristic differentiates handguns as a general class of firearms from long guns such as rifles and shotguns ....
illustrates the frustration that so many law-abiding citizens feel in the wake of continued attacks on Second Amendment rights.
In March 2000, the University of Oklahoma dismissed the sexual harassment charges filed against Deming. However, four of the complainants filed appeals, resulting in a closed hearing before a faculty panel that took place on April 27, 2000. The Center for Individual Rights
Center for Individual Rights
The Center for Individual Rights is a non-profit public interest law firm in the United States. Based in Washington, D.C., the firm is "dedicated to the defense of individual liberties against the increasingly aggressive and unchecked authority of federal and state governments." The Center is...
(CIR) "questioned the decision to bar lawyers from speaking at the April 27 hearing. In response, the University set up a hearing for May 5. There, in a public forum, OU general counsel Joseph Harroz dropped all complaints" In a memorandum, Harroz explained that "the University may not take any adverse action against Dr. Deming," because his statements were protected by the First Amendment.
Deming reached a final settlement with the University of Oklahoma on October 24, 2000. According to the terms of the settlement, the University agreed that Deming's letter "did not violate the University's sexual harassment/sexual assault policy." The University of Oklahoma also agreed to "not take any adverse action against Dr. Deming or retaliate against him in any way." In a November 1, 2000, editorial, the Oklahoman characterized the settlement as a "free speech victory," and concluded "a college campus, of all places, ought to encourage the free flow of ideas."
Continued First Amendment controversy
Although OU had promised not to retaliate against Deming, the Daily Oklahoman reported that "it continued to unconstitutionally monitor his communication with newspapers." OU reportedly considered Deming's public opinions in his annual reviews.In December 2003, the University of Oklahoma "removed [Deming] from his department, stripped him of most of his classes, and moved his office to a converted basement lab, all while claiming to respect the principles of academic freedom." According to the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education
Foundation for Individual Rights in Education
The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education is a non-profit group founded in 1999 and focused on civil liberties in academia in the United States...
(FIRE), "OU administrators schemed to marginalize him and isolate him for his attempts at whistleblowing and for his political expression."
As described by FIRE, "Roger Slatt, Director of the School of Geology and Geophysics, began to unconstitutionally monitor Deming's letters to the newspaper and include them in three professional evaluations, until directed to stop by OU President David L. Boren
David L. Boren
David Lyle Boren is an academic leader and American politician from the state of Oklahoma. A Democrat, he served as the 21st Governor of Oklahoma from 1975 to 1979 and in the United States Senate from 1979 to 1994. He is currently president of the University of Oklahoma. He was the longest serving...
. A former US Senator, Boren had stated in a 2001 editorial
Editorial
An opinion piece is an article, published in a newspaper or magazine, that mainly reflects the author's opinion about the subject. Opinion pieces are featured in many periodicals.-Editorials:...
, "a university is a place of many diverse viewpoints where free speech is encouraged." In June 2003, Boren wrote to Deming, saying, "I fully agree with you that your political views should not be included as a factor in your post-tenure review." In a July 24, 2003 email, Dean Snow complained that "it is doubly frustrating that President Boren...has shown such sympathy for Deming.", and wrote that he would try to convince Deming's department head to " basically ignore and then marginalize Deming.… As long as we keep our i’s dotted and our t’s crossed, all Deming can really do is make noise and cause a bit more paperwork.”
A major impetus to Deming's transfer was evidently the dissatisfaction of Robert L. Stephenson, an OU alumnus and major donor. On November 4, 2003, an attorney representing Stephenson wrote to University of Oklahoma provost
Provost (education)
A provost is the senior academic administrator at many institutions of higher education in the United States, Canada and Australia, the equivalent of a pro-vice-chancellor at some institutions in the United Kingdom and Ireland....
Nancy Mergler, complaining that Deming was "pursuing academic and personal interests outside of and not supportive of the School's mission." The letter warned that if Mr. Stephenson's concerns were not addressed, "his efforts and donations on behalf of the School will not continue."
In a February 27, 2004 article in The Chronicle of Higher Education, Karen S. Humes, a former OU professor now at the University of Idaho
University of Idaho
The University of Idaho is the State of Idaho's flagship and oldest public university, located in the rural city of Moscow in Latah County in the northern portion of the state...
, was quoted as stating that Deming's transfer was part of an administrative pattern in the College of Geosciences. Humes claimed that "The administration in that college was quite willing to subvert normal procedures to make sure their agenda was followed."
In July 2004, Deming filed a First Amendment
First Amendment to the United States Constitution
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights. The amendment prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering...
lawsuit
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
against a group of administrators at the University of Oklahoma, including "Roger Slatt, director of the School of Geology and Geophysics, and J.T. Snow, dean of the College of Geosciences." On December 24, 2005, the Oklahoman reported "U.S. District Judge Vicki Miles-Lagrange on Friday denied the University's motion to dismiss the lawsuit." Deming and OU later reached a settlement out of court, with Deming transferring to the College of Arts and Sciences.
Further reading
- Cognitive Differences Between Men and Women May Be Important, October 7, 1999. http://www.nature.com/nature/debates/women/women_25.html
- The Warmest Year on Whose Record? August 31, 2000. http://www.ncpa.org/ba/ba337/ba337.html
- Are we running out of oil?, January 29, 2003. http://www.ncpa.org/pub/bg/bg159/
- Petroleum Age Just Beginning, August 15, 2003. http://www.ncpa.org/media/petroleum-age-is-just-beginning
- 'Oklahoma U Crushes A Prof's Free Speech, Frontpagemagazine.com, February 2, 2004.http://www.thefire.org/pdfs/4418_2645.pdf
- The Man Without a Department, The Chronicle of Higher Education, February 27, 2004. http://www.thefire.org/index.php/article/5067.html
- Malthus Reconsidered, March 22, 2004. http://www.ncpa.org/pub/ba469
- Can a Single Bubble Sink a Ship?, Journal of Scientific Exploration (2004). http://www.scientificexploration.org/journal/jse_18_2_deming.pdf
- Global Warming, the Politicization of Science, and Michael Crichton's State of Fear, Journal of Scientific Exploration, 2005. http://www.sepp.org/Archive/NewSEPP/StateFear-Deming.htm
- Inhofe Correct On Warming, The Washington TimesThe Washington TimesThe Washington Times is a daily broadsheet newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. It was founded in 1982 by Unification Church founder Sun Myung Moon, and until 2010 was owned by News World Communications, an international media conglomerate associated with the...
, October 15, 2006. http://washingtontimes.com/news/2006/oct/14/20061014-102319-3494r/ - Statement of Dr. David Deming: U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, December 6, 2006. http://epw.senate.gov/public/hearing_statements.cfm?id=266543
- The Oil Price Bubble, The Washington TimesThe Washington TimesThe Washington Times is a daily broadsheet newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. It was founded in 1982 by Unification Church founder Sun Myung Moon, and until 2010 was owned by News World Communications, an international media conglomerate associated with the...
, June 14, 2006. http://environment.ncpa.org/commentaries/the-oil-price-bubble - How to Cut the Knot of Global Warming, June 22, 2006.'http://eteam.ncpa.org/commentaries/how-to-cut-the-knot-of-global-warming'
- Global warming hysteria based on ignorance, Edmond (Oklahoma) Sun, January 10, 2007.http://www.edmondsun.com/opinion/local_story_010123756.html?keyword=topstory
- Don't Enact a Stupidity Tax, February 1, 2007. http://www.ocpathink.org/publications/perspective-archives/february-2007/?module=perspective&id=1474
- Oil Fuels Human Progress, May 1, 2007. http://www.ocpathink.org/publications/perspective-archives/may-2007/?module=perspective&id=1494
- Inconvenient Truths, May 9, 2007. http://www.mwcsun.com/opinion/local_story_129164511.html?keyword=topstory
- Liberals Sustain Robert Owen's Legacy Edmond (Oklahoma) Sun, October 29, 2007.http://www.edmondsun.com/opinion/local_story_302124718.html?keyword=secondarystory
- Year of Global Cooling Washington Times, December 19, 2007.http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2007/dec/19/year-of-global-cooling/
- Environmental Hysterics Washington Times, April 6, 2008.http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/apr/06/environmental-hysterics/
- Getting Sensible on Energy Washington Times, June 29, 2008.http://washingtontimes.com/news/2008/jun/29/getting-sensible-on-energy/
- Rice Wrong on Energy Edmond (Oklahoma) Sun, July 24, 2008.http://www.edmondsun.com/opinion/local_story_206214815.html?keyword=topstory
- Fluorescent Bulb Follies Washington Times, August 21, 2008.http://washingtontimes.com/news/2008/aug/21/fluorescent-bulb-follies/
- Natural gas is great choice to meet our energy needs Oklahoman, August 24, 2008.http://newsok.com/natural-gas-is-great-choice-to-meet-our-energy-needs/article/3287528
- Why Obama Will Lose Edmond (Oklahoma) Sun, September 24, 2008.http://www.edmondsun.com/opinion/local_story_268230433.html?keyword=topstory
- Americans: Fat, Lazy and Stupid Edmond (Oklahoma) Sun, October 9, 2008.http://www.edmondsun.com/opinion/local_story_283234038.html?keyword=topstory
- A Modest Proposal for Winning the Iraq War lewrockwell.comLewRockwell.comLewRockwell.com is a 501 libertarian web magazine operated by Burton Blumert , Lew Rockwell , Eric Garris , and others associated with the Center for Libertarian Studies ; its motto is "anti-state, anti-war, pro-market"...
, October 14, 2008.http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig9/deming1.html - The Noble Savage Edmond (Oklahoma) Sun, November 28, 2008.http://www.edmondsun.com/opinion/local_story_333222711.html?keyword=topstory
- Global Warming Freeze? Washington Times, December 10, 2008.http://washingtontimes.com/news/2008/dec/10/global-warming-freeze/
- Deifying Darwin Norman (Oklahoma) Transcript, January 31, 2009.http://www.normantranscript.com/opinion/local_story_031010718
- Ward Churchill Firing a Travesty Colorado DailyColorado DailyThe Colorado Daily is a newspaper published in Boulder, Colorado, by Prairie Mountain Publishing Co. LLC, a unit of MediaNews Group. The Daily is operated out of the offices of Boulder's Camera newspaper...
, February 17, 2009.http://www.coloradodaily.com/news/2009/feb/16/ward-churchill-cu-colorado-academic-freedom/ - Science is Never Settled Investor's Business DailyInvestor's Business DailyInvestor's Business Daily is a national newspaper in the United States, published Monday through Friday, that covers international business, finance, and the global economy...
, April 9, 2009.http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=324081052281380 - Death of a Civilization lewrockwell.comLewRockwell.comLewRockwell.com is a 501 libertarian web magazine operated by Burton Blumert , Lew Rockwell , Eric Garris , and others associated with the Center for Libertarian Studies ; its motto is "anti-state, anti-war, pro-market"...
, May 13, 2009.http://lewrockwell.com/orig9/deming2.html - The Coming Ice Age The American ThinkerThe American ThinkerAmerican Thinker is a daily conservative online magazine dealing with American politics, foreign policy, national security, Israel, economics, diplomacy, culture, and military strategy. American Thinker has been mentioned in other media including Le Monde, The Guardian, Inter Press Service, Campus...
, May 13, 2009.http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/05/the_coming_ice_age.html - Global Warming is a Fraud lewrockwell.comLewRockwell.comLewRockwell.com is a 501 libertarian web magazine operated by Burton Blumert , Lew Rockwell , Eric Garris , and others associated with the Center for Libertarian Studies ; its motto is "anti-state, anti-war, pro-market"...
, June 29, 2009.http://lewrockwell.com/orig9/deming3.html - Plenty of Oil Out There Oklahoman, October 26, 2009.http://newsok.com/plenty-of-oil-out-there/article/3412023?custom_click=headlines_widget