I wrote:
But in the case of the NHE and Toyota, I sense that the decision
makers do not believe the results, so they lie about them. . . .
Our guess, based on talking with these people, is that when they saw
positive results emerge, they thought something like this:
"Damn, that looks like excess heat. It must be some kind of crazy
instrument error, or just noise.
What I am trying to say is, I do not think that any opponent of CF
thinks the effect might exist. None of them is thinking: "This is
real! I'll be out of a job if people find out! They will shut down
the hot fusion program!"
Even in the oil industry I doubt anyone would go that far, but who knows.
As far as I can tell, no opponent imagines that he is quashing what
Michel Jullian called "important stuff." They are sure it is
unimportant. Opponents are 100% certain that it is nonsense, garbage,
fraud, or, at least, a ridiculous waste of time. They figure, "why
not lie a little or fudge the data to get rid of what is obviously a
big lie and a travesty?" Also, they think it is a good idea to employ
insults, ridicule and ad hominem attacks. As David Lindley wrote in
Nature, in March 1990:
"All cold fusion theories can be demolished one way or another, but
it takes some effort... Would a measure of unrestrained mockery, even
a little unqualified vituperation have speeded cold fusion's demise?"
(You can see that I am not just trying to read their minds, and I am
"not making this stuff up" as Dave Barry used to say. The skeptics
boldly go on record saying things that in normal circumstances, any
scientist would consider appalling!)
Skeptics attack CF only to prevent a small amount of funding from
being taken away from real science and diverted to schlock science.
And to protect the public reputation of science. Not because they
fear CF might actually someday succeed and then take away their entire program.
Also, they attack it because they are upset that anyone would take it
seriously. They put it in the same category I put astrology or
creationism. The difference is that although I consider these things
to be nonsense, I am not upset by them. I do not care whether other
people spend time or money on them. But I would be upset if someone
got government funds to do creationist research, or if he taught it
in a public school. So I guess I can understand how the skeptics feel
about government funding for cold fusion.
It is difficult for people who share my beliefs to understand how
these people think. You should not imagine they are evil, or they are
deliberately trying to prevent progress and quash academic freedom.
That is not how they see themselves. They commit evil acts, but it is
unintentional.
- Jed
