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Culture War Roundup for the week of November 4, 2024

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If 1.5ppm reduces IQ's by 2-5 points, what is the reduction in IQ's from the recommended level of 0.7? Keep in mind that the recommended level was 1.2 until recently.

Sure the 18 "high quality" studies might be wrong. I don't have a lot of faith in this area of science. But certainly the burden of proof needs to fall on those who would seek to add a chemical to the drinking water.

In any case, it's one thing to have a normalcy bias. I get it, normalcy bias usually points to correct outcomes. But to arrive at correct outcomes we also have to consider things outside the norm. Markets of ideas can't work if everyone just buys an index fund. Aren't you at all curious about this?

If 1.5ppm reduces IQ's by 2-5 points, what is the reduction in IQ's from the recommended level of 0.7? Keep in mind that the recommended level was 1.2 until recently.

The number is between zero and 2-5, assuming no hormesis. Based on Cremieux's arguments here, I lean towards closer to zero.

Markets of ideas can't work if everyone just buys an index fund. Aren't you at all curious about this?

Far be it from me to compel people to buy index funds. Let a thousand flowers bloom. For my part, I'm not convinced that there is a there there at all, and I don't see anyone making any argument that would suggest that the scale of the problem is anywhere near spewing lead from every tailpipe.

There also has to be someone buying puts for the market to function, after all.