Re: Study: EMF, Suicide Risk Linked

[Enrico SARTORI <sartori@nea.fr>]

Bjoern 
         
By circulating this kind of information we are going to scare out the
shit of everybody who has contact with modern technology. 

I am convinced that modern technology has contributed basically more to
the well being of human kind than anything else. The capacity of
technology development is what distinguishes humans from the other
mammals, it is the expression of human intelligence. This has lengthened
the life span of humans, their well being and health (although some
still believe that the world was a paradise when technology did not
exist). Technology made it possible that more people can experience life
on earth than ever before, now we are 6 billions; without technology
most of us would not be here today. Amongst the technological
developments, electricity has contributed to this probably more than any
other.

Herkules went to the garden of the Hesperides and tried to get hold of
the fruits that give you eternal life, Faust tried to get back his youth
by selling his soul to Mephistopheles - and we want now to
systematically bash technology in the belief we might get an endless
life? 

While it is useful to be informed that there is a lot of research going
on providing controversial conclusions which will in the end generate
more funds for further analyses that will provide ..., and I have seen
some of this in RADSAFE lately, we should also fight charlatans, the
number of which seems to increase as a new money making profession.

I seem to have noticed that there is a lack of understanding of what
modelling complex systems e.g. human society, is all about and what
determines the level of confidence we can have in our conclusions from
such models. Where is the sensitivity analysis? Where the uncertainty
analysis? Without that our models prove NOTHING, are USELESS! But we
entertain the doubt - the fear - finally the rejection.

Correlations? The correlation parameters are so often blurred. Which
parameter is in this case well defined? EMF? Suicide? Risk? Sounds like
a simple equation!

Sorry, Bjoern, but I wish we could have better information with some
judgement attached to it in RADSAFE and avoid publicising what I feel to
be bad taste and provocatory journalism. 

Remember cold fusion and the memory of water? 

If you open a newspaper and you see the following two articles with the
tiles:
"Here are the lies!" and "Here is the truth!". Which one would you read
first or at all? What can you sell better in the media?
----------------------------------------------------------
Enrico Sartori               Tel.: +33 1 45 24 10 72 or 78
OECD NEA Data Bank           Fax : +33 1 45 24 11 10 or 28
12 Bd des Iles
92130 Issy-les-Moulineaux    e-mail: sartori@nea.fr
France                       www-->  http://www.nea.fr
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