Treasures from the threads - Number Thirty

The following is from a discussion on the crass stupidity uttered by David Cameron at Davos this week, he is still regrettably leader of the UK Conservative opposition. It appeared on Samizdata linked here:

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Paraphrasing part of Cameron's Davos speech, as quoted above by DavidNcl, and noting that (not unlike the science of thermodynamics) economics and sociology are studies of the mass effects of many many individual decisions or events (made/happening both independently and sometimes, unlike thermodynamics, not so independently):

It’s time to assert a fundamental truth: that the laws of physics are a means to an end, not an end in themselves. Natural laws are there to serve our society, not to suck the joy out of it or trample over its values. So we must shape the laws of physics to suit the needs of society; not shape society to suit the constraints of physics.

Is my version any less barmy than Cameron's? Really?

Best regards

Posted by Nigel Sedgwick at January 31, 2009 10:44 AM =====