Comments on: LHC: Why you won’t die today

By: Kiltak

Kiltak — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 22:49:00 +0000

Hi there… I thought I had added the link to the CERN report explaning why people should *not* be afraid.. anyhow, it's there now if you want to read it.. and here's the direct link.

http://public.web.cern.ch/Public/en/LHC/Safety-en…

By: Risk and Reward

Risk and Reward — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 21:30:00 +0000

Glad that it all got off to a good start, but the condescending tone of these blog entries is pretty hard to swallow.

"Wanna-be scientists", as you call them, surely have a right to protest a decision they disagree with, no matter how misguided, or otherwise?

Simply name-calling and dismissing risks involved is extremely small minded, so hopefully there will be someone posting to give a blow-by-blow account of what the theorised risks are, why they will theoretically fail to eventuate and what are the actual probabilities of them occuring.

As many people know, the risk doesn't have to be great to still be a risk or to be unconscionable. I have seen few people argue that the creation, and persistence, of black-holes is a certainty, let alone a 50:50 proposition – most would say it was a chance in millions – but that doesn't mean we should adopt a "let's do it!" or "full steam ahead" mentality.

Belittling critics and criticisms, reasoned or unreasoned, as "wanna-be scientists" (dissenters) with one fell swoop is not the way to alay fears but a way to encourage a sense that CERN, and the interest groups involved, are acting irresponsibly.

By: Risk and Reward

Risk and Reward — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 21:30:00 +0000

Glad that it all got off to a good start, but the condescending tone of these blog entries is pretty hard to swallow.

“Wanna-be scientists”, as you call them, surely have a right to protest a decision they disagree with, no matter how misguided, or otherwise?

As many people know, the risk doesn’t have to be great to still be a risk or to be unconscionable. I have seen few people argue that the creation, and persistence, of black-holes is a certainty, let alone a 50:50 proposition – most would say it was a chance in millions – but that doesn’t mean we should adopt a “let’s do it!” or “full steam ahead” mentality.

Belittling critics and criticisms, reasoned or unreasoned, as “wanna-be scientists” (dissenters) with one fell swoop is not the way to alay fears but a way to encourage a sense that CERN, and the interest groups involved, are acting irresponsibly.

By: coration

coration — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 17:33:00 +0000